


Handled

by RouvaWuoti



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Angst, Dark, Distrust, F/M, First Kiss, Murder, Payback, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Episode: s01e10 Remix, Romance, Sex, Smut, Threats of Violence, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Violence, some angst and smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-07-01 21:29:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 26,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15782481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RouvaWuoti/pseuds/RouvaWuoti
Summary: Emotions run high when Beth meets Rio in her home after trying to sell him out to the cops. A twisted play ensues and Beth finds out how it feels to be handled by Rio.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've never written fanfic before but this couple is so hot I had to give it a try. Hope you enjoy it.:)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emotions run high when Beth meets Rio in her home after trying to sell him out to the cops. A twisted play ensues and Beth finds out how it feels to be handled by Rio.

Beth stared at the seemingly nonchalant expression on Rio’s face as she squeezed the gun in her shaking hand. It was only his eyes that revealed how angry he was.

She knew she was dead woman walking. She could shoot Rio, but he certainly had associates, who’d handle her for good. She had tried to send Rio to prison, for God’s sake. That wouldn’t be overlooked by the gang.

She felt cornered, terrified, tired - and overwhelmed by a strangling feeling she couldn’t label but which had been ever-present since the day she had met him. 

She wouldn’t shoot anybody. She wasn’t a killer. Yes, they would come for her and yes, her husband was a lying piece of shit who might deserve a bullet, but whatever happened, she wouldn’t become a murderer. She glanced at Dean who looked half unconscious. He had no part in Rio’s organization. Her babies would have Dad, at least.

When she spoke, her voice was barely more than a whisper.

”I don’t want to shoot anybody. I don’t want to be a king or a queen in your medieval world. I did what I did because you planned to kill us.” She let the gun drop and straightened her shoulders.  
”Do what you have to do with me, but don’t kill me in my home. And let them have their dad at least, he's done nothing.”

 

Rio furrowed his eyebrows and he stood up slowly. He walked to Beth, then picked up his gun and pushed it under his waistband never leaving his gaze off of her. Beth shivered as she stared at his face. On the surface he looked cold and under control as he stood there, still as a statue, but his eyes were flamed with fury and…was it disappointment? 

”Wanna try and gimme some orders again, bitch?”, he drawled in a tight voice that seeped with rage.”And what the fuck is this shit about killing you? I could’ve killed you a dozen times if I wanted to. If I remember it right I told you to go home. Not that I was gonna kill you.”

”Well, after what I did to you, it’s quite obvious what will happen to me.” 

She breathed out and whispered: ”You can…handle…me now, whatever it means. Take me where ever you need to but I’m begging you, leave my family out of this. Please.”

Her knees were shaking, her heart was beating, tears were falling from her eyes.  
Dean was mumbling something at the end of the table but she couldn’t focus on hearing what he was trying to say. 

”Shut the fuck up or I swear to god I’m gonna beat your punk-ass brain out!”, Rio roared. Beth flinched at his raw voice and looked at Dean’s beaten form. It looked like his figure was shut down immediately, the poor son of a bitch.

Rio turned again to Beth, his voice deceptively soft and even.

”We’re gonna talk this thru - once and for all - and this time you’re gonna listen and understand what you’re hearing, you got it?” 

He grasped her arm in a painfully tight grip forcing her to follow him as he strode away from the dinner table in such long strides that Beth had difficulty to follow him in her pumps.

As they reached the bedroom, Rio slammed the door shut behind them and pressed Beth against it, still holding her arm. His other hand reached for her hair, grabbing tightly to a handful of strawberry blond curls and forcing Beth to lift her head to look at him.

Rio’s jaw was set hard, the muscles visible in his face like cables beneath his skin and his nostrils flared. The careless mask on his face was gone and Beth swallowed hard, fear prickling down her spine. When he then started with his tirade, his voice was a low rumble that she felt as much as heard.

”You’re one goddamn piece of work, woman. And believe me I’ve seen many crazy bitches in my life. I threat you with a gun and you call me an idiot. I tell you we’re good and you come right back to me and want more. I tell you to go home and you sell me out to the cops!”

Rio’s brows were tied into a knot and his eyes seemed to burn black in the dark room. He pushed his face near to Beth’s and then added venomously: ”I could go on and on! You demand, you defy and on top of that, if you lily ass happen to be just a bit cranky, you throw things at me!”

The more Beth listened to to the enraged monologue, the harder it got for her to breathe. Though she couldn’t move and her arm hurt she found that she wasn’t afraid any longer. She wasn’t afraid at all. No. She stared into Rio’s eyes, mesmerized, in the same way she had found herself to do so many times before. She was ashamed of herself but couldn’t help it. A sensation grew in her belly and it had nothing to do with fear.

She knew that sensation. 

It was all too familiar and seemed always catch her off guard when he was nearby. She only had to see him and all reason seemed to fly out of the window. She felt nothing but his presence, his words, his demeanor. She had tried to to deny it and explain to herself that it was only the excitement of her new life that made her feel like this. 

This time she didn’t have any strength to find excuses. The reactions of her body were blatantly clear despite the fact that the man who stood in front of her, was a violent gangbanger. Her blood seared through her veins, her body felt taut and filled with anticipation and she couldn’t look away from his dark intense gaze. 

Well, she had always had hard time looking away from Rio. 

It was pure lust. She might be perverted but she had lusted after this man from almost the beginning, with fierce desperation. And with just as much desperation she had tried to put it out of her mind. God, she had tried selling him out to the cops at least partly because she had felt hurt. Hurt and wounded because he wanted to get rid of her. She had been afraid for her life, but she had also been hurt, angry and disappointed. 

They stared into each other’s eyes, breathing hard and Beth could tell the moment when Rio’s anger shifted into something else. Something that seemed helpless frustration. And then she saw something more. It was the same crazy irrational want which undoubtedly loomed in her own eyes. Desperate, unwilling lust. 

She was so wound up with tension that she couldn’t think straight. Her breasts felt heavy, her nipples tightened almost painfully and she felt a hot burning ache at the bottom of her belly. 

Instinctively she arched her back, breathed out with a loud huff and pressed herself tighter against Rio. She didn’t let her eyes off of him though she knew that in her present state, he could read every dirty thought that went through her mind and body.

Beth knew she shouldn’t do this. Rio came from a world she didn’t understand. He had threatened her, laughed at her, insulted her. God, his husband was here in their home and he had been beaten by this…this criminal. 

She should be horrified. There was just this one huge problem. He had such an effect on her that in such near proximity, she couldn’t care about anything else but his scent, his gaze, his body.

”Goddamn, Elizabeth”, Rio cursed with a husky voice that seemed to come from somewhere deep in his chest. He let his tongue slide over his lower lip and squeezed her hair even harder in his fist. It felt painful and heavenly at the same time. 

He freed her arm and let his hand slowly slide on her hip. She had thought they were already close but then Rio pressed her between his hard body and the door so tightly she could hardly breathe. 

 

Beth couldn’t help a small moan of pleasure escaping from her lips. Then she finally got what she needed so badly. Rio’s mouth pressed against hers, violently and hard. It was as if he was punishing her. Or himself. She didn’t know and she didn’t care. She attacked his mouth just as fiercely, biting his lower lip, sucking on it.

His tongue invaded her mouth and Beth let him devour every inch of her lips and the inside of her mouth, doing the same to him, tasting his mouth and his flavor that intoxicated her senses. Her fingers slid across the smooth muscles and up to his neck and upwards, stroking his short black hair with her nails. Her other hand wandered under his black t-shirt, on his hard, warm chest. Rio mumbled something incomprehensible into her mouth and pushed his thigh between her legs.

 

Beth’s mind went blank and she only felt the consuming need she had tried to reign too long. She wanted nothing but to be taken, be possessed by him. Somewhere in the back of her head she felt dizzying joy because she now knew that she wasn’t the only one whose body had betrayed her and that the way Rio had looked and spoken at her hadn’t only been teasing or mocking. It had been real.

 

Beth rocked her hips against his thigh and Rio stopped for a second and pushed back a little. ”I need to see you”, he muttered, his eyes feverishly roaming her body and pushing her blazer off of her shoulders. Then he lifted her shirt and bra over her chest exposing her swollen breasts and hard pink nipples. 

”Please.” The word fell out of her mouth uninvited but he understood what she needed and complied. He took one nipple between his thumb and forefinger and pinched it hard. Then he tasted another pink bud, circled it with his tongue and bit on it until Beth let out a helpless howl and ground herself against his thigh as tightly as she could. 

Without leaving his hands from her breasts he lifted his eyes to hers and groaned almost angrily: ”This time you pushed it too far, sweetheart”. 

Beth couldn’t answer. She was in awe of her feelings and her body’s reactions. This is not me, she thought incoherently. She hadn’t this kind of fire inside her, not this kind of burning desire. 

Instead of kissing her again, Rio pushed back and let her go. She stumbled against the door and fought to keep herself on her feet. She felt tears sting in her eyes but this time not for fear but for disappointment. Her pussy felt achingly swollen and wet, her breasts screamed for Rio’s touch now that they had got a taste of it. 

 

They stared at each other for a while and then Rio let his gaze linger down on her body and said with his deep husky voice: ”Now, for one time you listen to me.”  
”W-what?”, Beth asked breathlessly, still devastatingly aroused.  
”You’re gonna stay here, in your house with your family. You be as if you never knew me and live your fancy suburban life and try not to contact me. You hear me?”

Beth’s throat went tight and she hated her begging tone when she asked: ”We won’t meet ever again then? It’s done? Like you said? Over?”

Rio tilted his head a bit and looked at her with hooded eyes. His gaze moved to her swollen lips for a second.

”Oh, we’re gonna meet again”, he retorted almost irritated. ”I don't play pretend, I would be goddamn glad if I didn’t want to see you again, ever. But now, I’m afraid it’s…”

He leaned over Beth once again, put his mouth against her delicate ear, nipped at her earlobe with his teeth and then she rather felt than heard him saying: 

”…impossible.”

Beth stood completely silent, letting pleasure spread from her ear to her aching body and to her stupid weak mind. 

She felt relieved and utterly miserable. Miserable, because she was so relieved. 

She saw Rio striding in that feline manner of his toward the backdoor of the bedroom. Before he opened the door, he turned to look at her one last time, his face now an indifferent mask that didn’t give anything away. 

Beth felt a cold shiver snaking through her heated body and tried to rearrange her shirt with trembling hands.

She heard him speak in a matter-of-fact tone, his hand on the knob of the door:

”You know, I’m gonna have an eye on you. Maybe I’m weak when it comes to your body but you gonna pay in one way or another for pulling off this shit. And try again to rat me out and I’m gonna hurt you bad. Take Carman’s face as a warning. His life ain’t nothing to me.” 

Before the words had sunken into Beth’s brain, he was out of the house. She sat herself on the floor and stared at the opposite wall for a long time, only one question penetrating the incoherent mess of her thoughts. 

How would he make her pay for what she had done?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another try. :) Thank you so much for your encouraging comments and giving kudos!

The days after Rio’s visit were hard for Beth. She couldn’t sleep and she jumped at every noise at home. If she was driving, she was checking her rear window every five seconds. She never saw anybody. 

After three weeks her tension started to ease. Nothing unusual had happened and she wasn’t checking over her shoulder all the time anymore. She was starting to follow her routines again without being constantly afraid of being surprised by Rio or his goons. She was cooking, cleaning, baking for bake sales and attending PTA meetings as always.

Dean had moved out after Beth had confronted him about him faking cancer. She was sick and tired of his lies and hadn’t listened to his pleas and excuses or answered his questions about the night Rio had beaten him up. She had only assured him that they were safe, that calling the police would only make things worse and that all he could do was helping her with the kids.

Despite his help, she was still quite busy. The PTA was raising funds for a new playground and a class trip, and as Beth participated in most of the fundraising events and worked as the treasurer of their PTA board, she had her hands full. 

Evenings she was exhausted. She knew she might have taken too much on, but she needed to work. 

Her fear might have eased up, but she caught herself replaying those intimate moments between her and Rio in her mind far too often. 

Every time she remembered him plundering her mouth and his vicious hands on her, she felt goosebumps rising on her arms and a fire scorching through her body. She would lose herself in the memory of his mouth pressed against hers during a cookie campaign meeting or while she was reporting financials to the PTA board. No matter hard she worked, no matter how many people she talked with, the kiss haunted her everywhere. 

At night she often dreamt of kissing him again, of his eyes and hands on her naked body, of spreading herself wantonly wide open for him and letting him fuck her anywhere in her house in any position. More than once she surfaced from her dreams in the middle of the night as an orgasm ripped through her. 

It was an ordinary Thursday morning and Beth’s mind was still wandering to another very obscene dream of hers when the phone call came and drew her back to reality. She was packing lunch bags for the kids and was a bit surprised that the school principal would call her this early. When she answered, she immediately knew something was wrong. She had known Ron for years now and had never heard him speaking in such a strict manner to her. 

”Beth”, he started without answering her good morning greetings. ”We discovered something very alarming this morning.” Beth’s hand stopped in the air, holding an apple that was supposed to go into Kenny’s lunch bag. 

”What is it?”, she asked anxiously. ”Has someone smudged the school walls again?” This had happened a couple of times but Ron had never sounded like that even though he had been annoyed.

”No”, he answered sharply and coughed a little before he continued. ”Beth, almost half of the money we’ve raised is gone. It’s not in any of the accounts of the school.”  
”That’s impossible”, Beth retorted automatically. She had checked the funds only three days earlier.  
”I hope it would be”, Ron answered somewhat stiff and then added ”You should come here.”  
”Of course, it must be some kind of misunderstanding. I’ll be there in an half an hour”, Beth assured and tried to sound as calm as possible, though anxiety started to build in her chest. 

When she dropped the kids off and parked her car in front of the school building, she saw the local media was already there. How the hell could they be here this fast? Had somebody from the school called them?, Beth wondered when she hurried herself through the the small crowd of reporters.

They were snapping pictures of her and she heard someone shouting ”It’s the treasurer, Mrs. Boland!”

In that second she knew. 

Her mouth went dry as she walked through the corridors in a haze, her brain empty from anything else but the accusations she was about to meet. She went straight to the school principal’s room. Ron was sitting behind his desk and there were other PTA members sitting or standing in front of him as well as Sean, the IT guy.

When she pushed the door shut, Ron looked at her earnestly. ”Beth. Sit down.”

———————————

It was the most humiliating day of her life. Not even Dean’s betrayal had worn her out in the same way. The money - almost 30 thousand dollars - had vanished from the account two days earlier. Maria, the secretary of the PTA had noticed it only that morning when she had checked for the latest deposits. They had gone through the other accounts in case Beth had transferred the money accidentally in the wrong account. They hadn’t found the money but Sean could confirm that the transfers had been made from the treasurer’s computer, that was solely in Beth’s use.

Beth sat in the middle of the now silent group of parents and school personnel. She had denied stealing the money over and over again, explaining that somebody must have broken into her computer. It seemed to have no effect at all. Everybody knew she had been in the school two days earlier and stayed late. It was of no use reminding them of the fact that she had only been in the other part of the school building, participating in a meeting concerning the next fundraising event.

”I’m sorry Beth”, Ron broke the silence. ”We have to call the cops and we have to do it quick. I have no idea how the media found out about this so soon.”

Beth swallowed hard, cold sweat breaking out on the back of his neck. She nodded and kept her eyes on her trembling hands. She knew there wouldn’t be other finger prints to be found and that the money, once found, could somehow be connected to her.

”I understand”, she replied silently.” She didn’t add that she had quite a clear picture of what had happened. She stood up, looking at her friends or should it be said ”former friends”. Their expressions varied between disappointment and anger. 

She would have liked to shout in their face that she had been framed, that she couldn’t believe that her friends who’d known her for years could believe something like this about her. Instead of doing that she took a look at Ron and asked: ”Can I go now? I’m not going to run away and play hide and seek. The cops will find me at home if they want to talk to me.”

”I haven’t been convicted yet, am I?”, she added sarcastically.

Ron turned his eyes off of her and nodded to the door. Beth turned around, tears starting to fall down her cheeks. She almost ran through the building and only stopped when she approached the front door. There were several local tv reporters waiting and for a second she considered running to the back door. It would look even worse, she then decided and stepped outside, to the flashlights, microphones and TV cameras.

————————————-

 

When Beth came home she picked up her phone to call Annie and Ruby. Dean should know about it, too. She wouldn’t have much time before her face and the story about the suspected embezzlement would be online and on TV. 

Maybe the girls could come and talk in the evening. She’d really need some company and comfort and it had been a while since they really had had time to talk. Annie was working all the time, now that the money laundering business had come to an end and Ruby had been busy taking care of recovering Sara and trying to make Stan to even talk to her. 

She stepped in her living room scrolling down her list of contacts when she heard the deep husky voice, which had talked to her every night in her dreams.

”How did it go, sweetheart? Did you enjoy your 15 minutes of fame?” 

On some level she wasn’t even surprised to find Rio in her house. He was slouching on the sofa in his bomber jacket and black jeans, arms stretched lazily on the back of the sofa, smiling as if there wasn’t anything wrong under the sun.

Rio’s eyes flashed mischievously and he cocked his head to one side and added almost in a cheerful tone ”Though in your case it coulda take more than 15 minutes.” 

”I guess this is your way of getting even with me”, she started with a flat voice.

”Oh c’mon darlin’, it ain’t that bad”, he retorted, his brows lifted up and eyes wide open when he continued in his fake innocent tone, ”you just pay them back and say you’re sorry. I’m sure they gonna understand. I mean, somebody told to the press that you have three mortgages and four children…”

Beth felt anger rising in her guts. She stepped in front of him, her hands on her hips and her eyes pierced at him. ”This is a joke to you!? My reputation and my family is a joke to you!? Do you understand that I can go to prison for this fun of yours?”, she snapped. 

Rio’s smile dried up and he looked at her from behind hooded eyes.  
”I just thought you’d wanna taste your own medicine.”

At that Beth lost it completely. She leaned herself forward in a threatening motion. 

”This is NOT the same thing! I’ll end up in jail! I’m not a career criminal! My friends won’t talk to me again, this will affect my children, they will kick me out of the PTA…You told me I’d have to pay but now you’re making my babies and family suffer, too, and…” 

She saw the cocky smile disappear from Rio’s face as she went on ranting at him. His eyes narrowed, ablaze with rage.

”You bitch thinkin’ you’re the only one with a family?”, Rio snarled interrupting her. ”You forget who was tryin’ to send ME to jail in the first place, huh!? You think that you deserve better just ’cause you’re you? I don’t see the logic of yours!”

”I didn’t mean…”

”Yeah, sure you didn’t! And let me ask you somethin’! You thought laundering my fake money was legal? That you ain’t criminal if you do that?”

Beth let out a screech like a wounded animal and punched Rio on his arm. In the same second, she felt herself stumble and tried to brace herself against the back of the sofa. She heard a loud angry sigh coming from Rio’s mouth as he grabbed her hips and stood up in front of her.

Beth tried to punch him again but his hands were faster and before she knew it he had forced her arms behind her back.

”Stop it and listen to me! You ain’t gonna go to jail!”, he lashed out at her and took hold of her chin, his cold eyes drilling into hers. She saw that he wanted to continue, but she was too furious to let go.

 

”What the hell is that supposed to mean? You’re going to hire great lawyers for me? Because as sure as hell I can’t! Is this the point where I should be grateful?! Well thank you so very much!”, Beth almost spat the words out. ”And so what, if I’d only get probation! My reputation is gone, nobody wants to have anything to do with me! Who’ll come to my children’s birthdays? I may even lose my children to Dean!”

As the words spilled out of her mouth the more hysterical she got. 

She had been so numb until now that she hadn’t thought about her future and the effects of the situation on her family. It wouldn’t look good. Getting caught of stealing money from the PTA would cast a shadow on her and her family for a long time.  
She tried to kick Rio and was panting frantically with the effort of fighting against him.

”Drop it!”, Rio grunted and turned her suddenly around so that her back was leaning against his chest, his arms tightly locked around her arms and waist. Beth felt the warm breeze of his breath brush her neck and the panic started wear off as he spoke again.

”I ain’t gonna take you away from your children. You gonna suffer a bit but…”  
”How are you going to do that?”, Beth interrupted.  
Rio huffed impatiently.  
”For fuck’s sake woman, shut up! I’m tellin’ you, I can make the money come back as fast as it left! 

As Beth didn’t try interrupting him this time, he continued: ”I have a friend. He’s good with computers and he owed me a favor. I thought I’d have some fun seein’ you in cuffs and putting you thru some hearings.”

”You have a twisted sense of fun”, Beth whispered.

As if he hadn’t heard her, he went on: ”But I’m thinkin’ I’ve seen enough. Maybe we gotta make another deal”, he drawled almost regrettingly, letting his hand caress the curvy lines of her body, freeing Beth from his grip.

Beth breathed in and fought against the warmth that started spreading through her body. This wasn’t right, her brain tried to remind her. But Rio was so near, his voice was so soothing and she felt his muscles pressing against her back, his dizzying scent penetrating her senses.

”You can’t make it right anymore”, Beth tried once again, her voice revealingly hoarse. ”Even if the money shows back into the account, I have been accused, I’ve been on television and the other parents in the PTA will always have doubts on…”

Her voice trailed off when she felt Rio’s right hand wandering on her thigh and lifting the hem of her dress at the same time as his other hand stretched her cleavage and bra, exposing her pale cream shoulder and her other full breast. ”Let me tell you something, darlin’”, he drawled against the delicate skin of her neck as he cupped her breast in his hand. ”I’m showin’ some mercy here and you’d better take it.”

He trailed his teeth softly along her neck and Beth swallowed hard. His honey-toned hand was palming her breast, his fingers pulling and twisting her nipple every now and then in a way that made her squirm with desire and when his other hand reached her thighs, her already wavering mind gave up. She couldn’t care less about the PTA anymore or anything else, except for his hands on her body.

She pressed her ass against Rio and was pleased to feel a hard jut of his erection against her backside. His fingers played between her thighs, drawing small circles on the insides of them and she was whimpering with the need to have them on her aching slit. When he then moved her panties aside and let one finger slide between her lips, she couldn’t help herself. A sobbing noise escaped her mouth.

”Fucking hell”, he grunted. ”You’re so wet for me, honey.”

Rio turned her around and pushed her against the sofa until she was lying there on her back, her dress pushed to her waist and her other breast bare and tight. A flicker of self-consciousness washed over Beth when he didn’t join her right away on the sofa but merely stood there, letting his hooded dark gaze roam her half-naked body. She tried to arrange her cleavage, but his strained voice stopped her immediately.  
”No, don’t do that.”

Rio’s eyes were glowing with lust when he sat down on the sofa and then lowered himself to kiss her. His tongue brushed against her teeth and against her tongue, sending waves of desire all over her body. Beth felt his hand grasping the fabric covering her breasts and suddenly she heard a ripping sound as the front of her dress fell open. 

”Rio, this is…” She couldn’t go further. All her thoughts evaporated when she felt his lips on her breasts, sucking and biting her nipples and a hand snaking between her legs. 

”I’ll buy you a new one”, she heard him mutter in a hoarse voice. 

His hand found her drenched pussy and he let out a pained sound. 

”You’re gonna kill me”, he growled in a dark voice and pushed one finger inside of her, brushing his thumb against her clit at the same time.  
It was all Beth needed. She bucked her hips against Rio’s hand and her orgasm exploded in her, scorching waves reaching every inch of her body. She shattered, screaming into the otherwise silent house. He kept pressing his thumb mercilessly on her clit and drawing her release out until Beth was a quivering mess. 

Only after she recovered a bit, Rio removed his finger from her wet core. He lifted his hand between them and Beth swallowed hard as she saw him taking his finger into his mouth and licking it while watching her flushed, sated expression with his dark smoldering eyes. God, how could he make her feel horny right after the biggest orgasm she’d ever experienced?

”I need to fuck you real soon, before I go crazy”, he said, as if against his will, standing up.

Beth looked at him and saw that his face had closed again. Only a flicker of fire revealed his outspoken hunger when he let his gaze linger on her once more. She felt a sting of pain at his raw words but started rearranging her dress - or what was left of it, trying to look casual. 

Her phone started ringing.

”Someone’s heard about your little embezzlement”, Rio said, his lips curving up into a crooked smile.

Beth scowled at him and grabbed her phone. It was Annie. 

”You needn’t worry”, Rio continued as he turned away, ”The money’s gonna be back by tomorrow.”

”Why?”, Beth asked, still recovering from her stupor.

Rio glanced at her once more.

”I told you I might need you to do something for me. Somethin’ you can’t do if you’re behind bars. You do dance salsa?”

Beth opened her mouth, but before she could answer, Rio had let out a low chuckle and walked away, leaving her alone and puzzled again.


	3. Chapter 3

Beth came from the bedroom and stopped in front of Annie. ”How do I look?”, she asked a bit nervous.

She had met Rio in a grocery store two days before and he had given her short but clear instructions.

Everything was ready.

His delivery had arrived, Dean had picked up the kids for the night and she was supposed to meet Rio in a local salsa club in an hour. She hadn’t found anything suitable in her wardrobe and had bought a new dress for the night.

It had been a bit expensive but she had fallen in love with this black ruffled hemmed wrap dress made of a gauzy silky material. The neckline showed just the right amount of her cleavage, her waist looked tiny and the golden necklace with emerald cut diamonds complemented the dress perfectly.

Annie looked at her dress, a cunning expression on her face.  
”So you went shopping. For tonight’s…err…meeting?”  
”I can hardly appear there in my jeans!”, Beth snapped.  
She had been a bit on edge all day long and she already knew what was coming.  
”Could it be possible, that you have hots for our Gangfriend?”  
”Shut up!”, she managed to grunt but annoyingly, she felt herself blush.  
”Awwww, I’m right aren’t I? You know, I’ve always doubted that.”, Annie continued not even a bit affected by her unencouraging tone.

Beth heard the front door open and saw Ruby coming in.  
”Right about what?”, Ruby asked right away, without any unnecessary greetings.  
”Annie is just acting childish, again”, Beth said before Annie had time to get started again.  
”How do I look?”, she repeated, her eyes now on Ruby.

Ruby took a look at her outfit and let out a playful whistle. ”A hot date or do you nowadays prefer to go to Fine & Frugal looking like a sex goddess?”  
”It’s not a date”, Beth retorted impatiently. ”It’s something I have to do.”  
”Do, yeah! If I’d have to guess, him.”, Annie shouted from behind the dinner table.  
Ruby shook her head and asked loudly: ”Is she drunk? Already?”

"I’m not the one you should be worried about. She’ll meet our Gangfriend in a salsa club!”, Annie shouted back, still unaffected.

Rubys eyes widened and she strode to the dinner table to Annie, but she didn’t leave her eyes off Beth.

”So you you’ve got a date with the man who’s threatened to kill you and pointed a gun to you more than once?”, she asked with her expressive voice which, at that moment, mostly expressed disbelief.  
”YES!”, Annie confirmed merrily.  
”The man who beat the shit out of your husband?”  
”YES”, Annie confirmed again, even merrier.  
”The man who breaks and enters your home on a regular basis.  
”YES!”, Annie almost sang.  
”The man who framed you for stealing money from the PTA?”  
”YES, YES, YES!” At that point Annie sounded like a crazy Julie Andrews from the Sound of Music.

Ruby shook her head, slumped next to Annie, looking at Beth unbelievably and turning then to Annie.  
”Give me some of that wine. Look, I’ve seen how she looks at him and no doubt she’s been lately acting as if she had a death wish, but…”

Beth had heard enough. She tried to keep her voice cool, clear and calm.

”This is what I HAVE TO DO TO PAY HIM BACK. He returned the money to the PTA account on the condition I’d do him a favor.”

Ruby kept staring at her. Annie didn’t even flinch. She just grinned and replied: ”And you decided to dress for the occasion.”

Before Beth had time to open her mouth she went on:

”No, let me put it right. You decided to go shopping, buy the sexiest dress I’ve ever seen you wear and all this in order to make him a favor.”, Annie concluded mercilessly. She kept a tiny dramatic pause and raised her glass as if to toast. ”To paybacks!”

Beth sighed and went straight to the kitchen cabinet and took out a bottle of bourbon. She hated herself when she saw her hands shake. Good God, she thought to herself, luckily the girls didn’t know that her payback involved Rio staying in her house in the upcoming night.

———————————

 

When Beth stepped in the club it was already crowded. The fast rhythm of the music hit her body and she felt her heart beating faster. She hadn’t been to salsa clubs since college. Well, she hadn’t been to any clubs for a very long time. She was afraid she’d be old for this kind of place but to her relief she saw many people who were certainly older than forty years old.

She looked around and saw a spacious, dimly lit room with a large dance floor. It was surrounded by booths from all the other sides except from the back wall, where the bar was located. It was still a bit early, but the dance floor was full of pairs absorbed in each other and swinging their hips to the music. She walked a bit further and let her gaze wander around the place trying to find Rio. She checked her watch, making sure she was on time.

Beth furrowed. He could at least meet her on time, when she’d had to groom herself half the day. Well, she hadn’t had to, she admitted to herself, but she’d wanted to look good since based on a short Internet research, the club had appeared to be classy. There was it, a completely logical reason, Beth told herself.

She walked to the bar and ordered a double bourbon to calm down her nerves.

Then she heard him. Not even the roaring music couldn’t cover the amused loud chuckle that came from her left. She had never heard him laugh out loud with her, but she knew the voice like her own. Beth turned to her left and saw a small group of people standing close to her. Two young women in dresses that didn’t cover anything, a dark young man and Rio, who sat on a stool, his back to her.

Beth moved a bit and saw that Rio’s eyes were obviously directed to the girl with a dark long curly hair and dark eyes. The girl stared at him like a puppy waiting for appraisal, she thought acidly. Beth walked to them, stopping next to Rio and poking him on his arm.  
He glanced at her shortly, nodded and said something in Spanish that made the dark girl in the slutty dress laugh. Far too loud, Beth thought to herself, although she had no idea what they were talking about.

Rio stood up and Beth got the impression he was excusing himself from them and then turned around to look at her. She met his dark, amused gaze and Beth took a cautious step back. She felt a bit awkward under his scrutiny but lifted her chin and took in his appearance in turn.

She had never seen him dressed in suit and she let her eyes linger on the black, obviously very expensive three piece suit that hugged his lean muscular figure. His shirt was black as well but elegantly embroided with black patterns that reminded her of the shape of ivy. He didn’t wear a tie, his collar open, exposing the eagle tattoo on his throat.

”You like what you’re seein’?”, Rio asked and Beth felt color creeping to her cheeks when she realized she had been caught for staring. She was annoyed with herself. She had always been good at managing and controlling her feelings. It was a skill that she had developed to perfection while raising four children and she wouldn’t let this insufferable man overpower her this easily. Again.

Beth lifted her eye brows and she returned the question as haughtily as she could: ”Do you?”  
Rio gave him a wide grin.  
”Oh yeah, you look hot as hell.”  
Beth felt her stomach tighten but kept her eyes locked with his.

”I’ve got what you need”, she said as calmly she could.  
His gaze ran over the thin fabric of her wrap dress once again before he lifted his eyes.  
”Sure you do”, he said mischievously his eyes glittering behind his narrowed lids.  
Beth felt as if he’d just undressed her and her whole body started quivering.

No, no, no, no. Stop it, she told herself angrily. She forced herself to remember the words he’d thrown at her last time they’d meet.

 _”I need to fuck you real_ soon, _before I go crazy.”_

Not a very subtle way of telling her that he took for granted that she would comply with whatever he happened to want whenever he wanted.

Beth hardened her gaze and said: ”I have it in my purse. Where do you want me to give it you?”  
”Later”, Rio said absentmindedly, his eyes still on her. ”You wanna dance?”

Beth hesitated a bit and replied, her tone sceptical: ”I haven’t danced salsa for ages. I’ll step on your feet.”

”My feet can take it. Now c’mon, loosen up a bit.”

Beth rolled her eyes but followed him when he took her hand and led them through the crowd until they reached the dance floor. He found a corner which was less crowded and tugged at Beth’s arm lightly yet firmly so that she spun around in his grip and found herself back against Rio’s chest. ”That’s right”, she heard him mutter before he turned her around to face him, putting his other arm on her waist and started dancing in the rhythm of the music.

Beth felt clumsy at first, but Rio was easy to follow and after a while she found herself enjoying the music and swaying her hips a bit more confidently. Soon she had enough courage to lift her eyes from her feet to Rio’s eyes. She felt light and carefree and laugh started bubbling in her throat. She chuckled and gave Rio a huge smile.

His gaze suddenly seemed to glaze and for the first time he missed a step. For a couple of fleeting seconds it seemed that he’d forgotten where he was and Beth could see some kind of strange, unnamed emotion reflected in his eyes. There was lust and frustration but also something more. It looked something painful. Beth felt a shiver running down her spine.

Rio recovered quickly. She was already a bit out of breath but when he suddenly spun her around and then pulled her tightly against his chest, all air seemed to escape her lungs.

She could only stare into his achingly beautiful dark eyes, her heart pounding like a hammer inside her. His hand moved in a slow motion from her waist to her hip and to the small of her back. She swallowed hard and her arm which had been resting on his shoulder wandered up and wrapped itself around his neck.

After that it was pure torture. Their hips moved together and every now and then he bent her downwards or made her spin, but she always ended up back against him, only even tighter. Beth had known that dancing could feel intimate but she had had no idea how turned on she could get in the middle of a dance floor.

When the music stopped for a while, Beth was breathing hard, her face hot and flushed. She remembered her promises to herself and squeaked helplessly the first thing that came into her mind.

”I need a drink!” Her voice sounded desperate even to her own ears. Rio grinned at her lazily and let his thumb travel over her lips.  
”I think I need one, too”, he replied and guided Beth to the bar.  
”My ankle hurts a bit”, Beth lied in order to avoid ending up back to the dance floor. ”I must have sprained it or something.”

Before she knew it, Rio had sat her onto a stool and asked: ”Which ankle?”  
Beth gave him a quick guilty glimpse and stuttered: ”The left one.”  
Rio caught her leg and kneeled down. Beth felt that she had gone out of the frying pan into the fire. He held her calf lightly as his other hand cautiously probed her ankle.  
His touch ignited sparkles on her leg which started to spread all over her body.

”It’s ok, really”, Beth blurted out and pulled her leg backwards, away from his hands. ”What about your package?”  
To Beth’s relief, Rio stood up and checked his watch.  
”Yeah, let’s go”, he said and took her by her hand and guided her towards the ladies’ room.  
”What are you doing?”, Beth hissed trying to dig her heels into the floor.  
”What does it look like, darlin’?”, he smirked at her, his eyes gleaming challenging.  
”You can’t come there with me!”, Beth whispered annoyed and flushed at the same time and continued:  
”You know how that would look like!”  
”Exactly”, Rio said with a playful grin and then pushed her quickly through the door.

Beth was so surprised that she forgot about her resistance and in no time they were in a small cabin.

”Now give it to me”, Rio said intently, his face set in a concentrated frown and for a second she stared at his extended hand, not understanding what he meant.  
”The envelope”, Rio said impatiently, his tone reminding Beth of the night she had thrown the keys at his face.

 _”I don’t_ got _time to hold your hand through this.”_

She casted an angry look at him and opened her purse. She slapped the bulging envelope in his hand and tried to open the door of the cabin.  
”Not so fast”, Rio drawled and kept the door shut. ”You wait, this’ll only take a minute.”

He tore the envelope open, found a small phone and…was it a Mexican passport?  
Beth stood silent as Rio opened the phone, texted something and then pushed both the phone and the passport into the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

He then stood up and nodded to Beth.  
”That’s it? I had to come here for these 30 seconds?”, Beth asked surprised.  
”No”, he said.  
”What now, then?”  
”I’ve got an operation going on. Thanks to your little plot, I need be extra careful nowadays.”  
”So you need to be seen here with me? I’m your alibi? Is that why you have to stay in my house, too?”  
”Something like that. You’re not under surveillance. At least not by the Feds. I don’t know about those PTA folks.”  
Beth huffed impatiently.  
”You do understand that you cannot use me as a middleman anymore, now that they’ve seen us together. I already had hard time explaining the last time.”  
”I know”, he answered, ”but that ain’t no problem. I’ve got what I need. For now.”

Suddenly, she heard at least two girly voices approaching and the door of the ladies’ room opened. Beth sighed irritated and made a gesture at Rio to be quiet.  
He shook his head, grabbed her hips and lifted her in the air so that Beth instinctively circled her legs around his waist. Then he pressed his lips on hers and opened the cabin door. Beth knew it was a play but she didn’t hear surprised voices and giggles as they stumbled out of the ladies’ room and against the opposite wall. It felt all too real when his tongue traced the shape of her lips and then plunged in.

A hot wave of desire surged through her but then the words flashed in Beth’s mind.

 _”I need to fuck you real soon, before I go craz_ y.”

She stiffened and pushed Rio back.

”Let me go.”

Rio looked surprised, but lowered her back on her feet. Beth was almost certain, she’d seen disappointment on his face. Good, she thought, although she had to confess to herself that she might be just a bit disappointed, too.

”Could we go now?”, she then asked.”I woke up at 6:30 and I am exhausted. Do you think we’ve been seen until now?”

”Well after that dance and our little performance in the toilet, there are many people who’ll remember us. And nobody’s gonna wonder why we’re leaving”, he answered and gave her a sly glance.


	4. Chapter 4

When they pulled up in front of Beth’s house, she was taut as a bowstring. She didn’t know how she managed to drive them safely through the city. Even if her eyes were on the streets, she didn’t see anything else but Rio’s dark figure beside her from the edge of her sight. It didn’t help at all that his scent seemed to fill the car and made the forbidden lascivious urges in her scream for attention.

When she parked the car in front of her house, at last, she was so desperate to get out that she got tangled in her safety belt. How was it possible, she had no idea.

However, Rio already stood by the door leaning on it, when she got out of the car. To hide her nervousness, she resorted to sarcasm. 

”Why waiting for me? You’ve never had any problems getting into my house?”, she asked.

”I haven’t been invited before”, he replied completely deadpan, though Beth saw that the corners of his mouth twitched as if he tried not to laugh. 

”You blackmailing me hardly serves as an invitation”, she said as imperiously as she could. As soon as she got the keys out of her purse, he took them and opened the door. 

”Always a gentleman”, she added sweetly.

”No”, he answered, a small grin on his face. ”Just self-preservation.”

As soon as they stepped in the silent house, Beth felt panic surging through her. She had to get out of this situation. Rio helped her out of her jacket and let his hands stay a bit too long on her shoulders, then slipping the garment off her arms, his fingers sliding against her skin. She gritted her teeth and could have sworn, that the air crackled and hummed around them.

”I’m really tired”, she said in a strained voice. ”I go to bed. Do what you have to do. I’ve prepared the guest room for you. I guess you know where it is.”

”Right”, she heard him answering soft when she almost ran to her room without giving him one single glance.

———————————

Beth took her clothes off and then went to take a shower. She let the hot water run over her and pressed her eyes shut. She knew she wouldn’t sleep well this night, but if that was the price to pay to be free again, she could take it with a smile on her face. Figuratively speaking.

It turned out to be more difficult than she thought.

After three hours of sleepless tossing and turning in her bed, she had no smile either on her lips or in her mind. Beth gave up. She was hot, sweaty and so turned on that she couldn’t resist sliding her finger between her legs. She felt how wet she was and trembled at the mere touch.

The house was silent as a grave. She hadn’t heard Rio going to the guest room and wondered what he was doing. She rose from the bed, put her robe on and sneaked to the bedroom door and through the corridor as quietly she could. At the end of the corridor she stopped and looked around the living room. She couldn’t see him anywhere. She took a couple of steps and then halted. 

Rio sat at the dinner table, the burner on the table, his head in his hands, a generous amount of her bourbon in front of him. He left an audible sigh, massaged his temples and when he spoke, Beth almost jumped.

”What you’re doing there?”

The man really not only moved like a feline but also appeared to have the same sense of hearing. 

Beth tied the sash of her robe tighter and coughed slightly.

”I just need something to drink”, she lied and went to the fridge. ”What are you doing?”, she then asked.

”What does it look like?”

”I don’t know. Is your operation still ongoing?”

”No”, he replied curtly.

”So”, Beth tried to sound as casual as she could. ”Shouldn’t you try sleeping a bit?”

”Yeah”, he answered in a glum tone that made her swallow. She took a sip of the juice she’d poured herself.

”Well. I go back to bed, at least.”

When she was in her bedroom again, she headed straight into the shower and let the water run as cold as possible. The icy water hit her like like a blow but it didn’t help with what was burning inside her. She didn’t know how long she’d been standing there, freezing cold, when she noticed Rio leaning to the door frame.

She instinctively stepped back and tried to cover herself.

”What the hell are you doing!”, she demanded, her voice a weak squeak. 

”You didn’t go back to bed”, he just stated and watched her with such a hunger in his eyes that suddenly she couldn’t even feel the cold water hitting her anymore.

”Get out! I just needed to take a shower!”

”Again?”, he replied and didn’t show any signs of leaving.

He stepped in and walked straight towards Beth. She couldn’t move or react, she only stared at his tense jaw and those eyes that haunted her days and nights.

”Fucking hell! You trying to freeze yourself?”, he asked when he was so near that cold water started dripping onto his face. He reached for the faucet and turned the water off.

”What are you doing?”, she tried again.

For a second she thought he wouldn’t answer at all. He stepped so close Beth could feel his shirt touch her breasts, tilted his head a bit and let the words roll into her ear. 

”You know what I’m doing. You sway your hips in that sinful little dress of yours all night and then show up in that flimsy robe and make me listen to you showering and imagining you naked - twice. If that ain’t an invitation I don’t know what is.”

He handed her a towel so that she could cover herself but didn’t let her go. 

Beth was so aroused she had to fight to think straight but somehow she got the words out.

”Is that right? Well, you should pick your words more carefully! You said you need to fuck me real soon. As if I was some kind of object you can use whenever you wanted to. Well, I’m not!”

” _Santa puta Madre de Dios!_ You’re one crazy woman!” Rio’s squinted his eyes and his brows tied into a knot. ”YES! I said that! I was fuckin’ pissed!”

They stood there for a while their gazes locked together. 

Then he continued in a low distressed voice, his finger following a water drop running down her neck. ”The first time I saw you, I knew you’d be trouble. I wanted to fuck you right there and then, to hell with my boys or the money. Next time I saw you, I wanted it so bad that I hooked up with the first blonde with big tits. It didn’t do the trick. I tried again but it doesn’t work that way. See, they ain’t you.”

Beth wanted to put her hands on her ears. She felt hurt and vulnerable. She absolutely hated the idea of him with other women. But she also wanted to hear more like a good old-fashioned masochist. And God help her, but she couldn’t resist when he stepped closer and started drying her with the towel.

”You talk about me as if I were some kind of disease you have to get rid of.”

Rio smiled at her that crooked cocky smile of his and answered simply:

”Because you are.”

After a small pause he continued:

”You betrayed me. And I can’t forgive it like it was a bad joke or a little accident. In my line of work snitching is the same as if you’d put a bullet in me. And still, I want to fuck you. To me, it’s like a disease. You’re a goddamn Ebola if you ask me.”

The words were cruel but a surge of heated confidence ran through her. He wanted her as badly as she wanted him. And he didn’t try to force her to anything. How many times had she fantasized about Rio fucking her in the shower? 

Maybe she should do this. If she’d initiate it, she’d be the master of her own body, wouldn’t she? Only once. Only to get it out of her system.

She touched Rio’s face with her fingertips, let her towel drop and said simply: ”I’m sorry.”

Rio’s eyes dropped to her bare breasts and lower.

Her voice hoarse, Beth said: ”Let’s have a shower.”

Rio looked into her eyes and she saw again that odd mixture of pain and want in his eyes. He turned the water on again and watched it flow on her. Then he stepped in, without taking his clothes off. Water poured on them and Beth looked as his expensive clothes got soaked. 

He stood so close to her that she had to lift her head to see his face. It was strained, his jaw set in a grim line, his eyes flaring wild. ”You know, if you offer yourself like this I will take you up on it. I ain’t some kind of knight in shining armor. ”

Beth took a trembling breath, her reply simple: ”I know.”

Before she knew, Rio turned her around against the wall, let his hand wander her spine and then grabbed her hips, letting his thumbs caress her ass cheeks. Beth hadn’t had sex in the shower for ages, and certainly never with a man who didn’t care to take his clothes off first. She felt her breasts press against the cool tiles, Rio’s hand on her backside and let her head lean against the wall as she waited, waves of desire starting to grow inside her.

He pressed himself against Beth and let his hands work from her hips to her waist and then to her breasts. He started massaging her generous mounds roughly and she felt her breasts swell and harden under his touch, her nipples taut and eager to be touched. Beth let out a weak squeak and pressed her ass against Rio’s crotch. She got what she wanted. A loud grunt escaped his mouth and she felt him opening his belt. 

When she felt his cock pushed hard against her ass, it felt so incredibly good, she thought she’d pass out. Water drummed on them and he was rock hard, wide and long against her needy flesh.It was a dizzying feeling to know that she had such a power over him. She offered her ass shamelessly to him and got more and more aroused when he let his cock slide between her ass cheeks.

This one time she’d give in to this weakness of hers. She had never wanted anybody so desperately and she wanted to find out how it would feel. Maybe it would be a disappointment. It would be easier to go on after that, she thought. 

Rio interrupted her thoughts, his voice intent and hoarse. ”Goddamn Elizabeth, you know what you’re doing to me?”

Heat lurched in Beth’s stomach and her whole body was sparkling with want. 

”Yes. Now fuck me. Please.”

He did.

In one rough move he turned her around, lifted her up against the wall, spreading her legs and wrapping them around him. He pressed his cock to her entrance and closed his eyes, biting his lower lip. Then he buried his face against the crook of her neck and in one swift move he pushed himself into her achingly swollen, wet pussy. 

”Fuck!”, she heard him grunt into her ear, in a voice filled with agony.

She couldn’t hold back a scream. He filled her so perfectly that all coherent thoughts evaporated from her brain.

Then he started moving. It was fast and hard. He slammed himself into her so urgently that it almost felt as if he punished her. He sucked on her neck, bit on her breasts and her collarbone as if to be sure to leave marks that wouldn’t fade for a long time. She grabbed his head and pushed him tighter against her skin when he drove himself impossibly deep with each  **thrust** . Beth felt her climax building in her core and she felt her muscles starting contracting uncontrollably around his cock.When his one finger dove into her ass, it was the end of her.

The orgasm hit her like a hurricane and it felt it would never end. She sobbed, panted and ground herself against Rio’s cock and her pussy convulsed so hard around his girth that she heard him swear. 

In the middle of her ecstasy, she realized they were moving. He carried her to the bedroom and they fell on the bed, him on top of her. He lifted her legs onto his shoulders and drilled even deeper in her, deeper than Beth would have ever thought to be possible. Somehow she managed to open some buttons of his wet shirt and slid her hand on his warm skin. When she touched his bare skin, at last, he started kissing her, his eyes wild, his mouth rough and demanding, his tongue mimicking his thrusts. 

He adjusted his angle and when his finger found her clit and started circling and brushing it, she felt her body tighten again and other orgasm approaching fast and inevitably. Beth let out a loud wail into the air and held on to him as another fierce climax ripped through her. Rio’s self-control crumbled as he felt her contractions squeezing him again. With a deep animalistic growl, he crushed her into the bed and banged into her  the last violent time and let himself cum deep inside her. 

It took a long moment for them both to recover. At last Rio pulled out of her and stood up. Beth was too spent and sated to move but she wondered vaguely if he was leaving now that he’d got what he’d wanted. 

It turned out that he had no such plans. He just took his wet clothes off and climbed back to the bed. He laid himself next to her taking her in his arms and kissed her so throughly she felt as if he’d claimed her as his own. 

She knew they could never have anything more than this. Their worlds had collided by chance but those worlds were so different that it would be impossible to bring them together.She didn’t want to hold back anymore tonight. She started caressing his perfectly muscular body, his honey-toned shoulder, his chest and then lower, pulling his head against hers with her other hand so that their foreheads pressed against each other. Then she took his lower lip between her teeth and bit on it until she tasted blood in her mouth.

”You know viruses like Ebola. All you really can do is to endure them and see if you live them through”, she whispered against his lips. She heard him mumble something against her mouth and wondered why she had thought she should do this only once if they had the whole night for themselves. 

”Let’s do this for one night. Only to get this out of our system. Maybe we cure ourselves.”

Rio didn’t answer at once but rolled her under him, his expression unfathomable again. His eyes seemed to burn black in the dimness of the bedroom but when he spoke, his voice sounded strangled and defeated: ”I ain’t sure I want to be cured.”


	5. Chapter 5

Beth woke up to a loud beep. Her body felt unbelievably relaxed and satisfied.  She didn’t open her eyes right away but let the images from the last night flash in her mind. Rio’s mouth and hands all over her, her screams, his bottomless, tortured gaze when he came into her for the fourth time, her exploding time after time, his dirty words and swearing and their sweaty bodies tangling together.

She was huddled against his chest and Rio had thrown his long leg possessively over her hip. The word ”happy” came into her mind but she quickly pushed it away. 

When she opened her eyes, she saw him stretching beside her. His hand wandered from her waist to her breast but the look on his face was strange, as if he were angry and lustful at the same time. He turned his eyes from Beth and reached for his phone. She saw that it was a text message but there was only number 1 on the screen. However, he got up at once and without looking at her, he started putting his undoubtedly still damp clothes on.

”Have to go”, he just said and turned away as if to leave the room. Beth felt her stomach tighten. She’d known that this would be over by this morning, but she’d expected at least a kiss and a couple of kind words. 

 Rio stood still a long moment and seemed to deliberate something and Beth hoped he’d even give her a look. Then he turned around, his eyes unfathomable and said: 

”You come with me. I’ve got something to show to you.”

Beth leaned on her elbow and yawned. ”Do we have to go? You know, the kids won’t be here until 2 o’clock.” Rio’s eyes went dark and he let his gaze run over her once. Then his face closed and he replied: ”Put your clothes on. You do me one more favor and you’re off the hook. For good.”

She felt like crying. This was it. He’d got what he’d wanted and obviously he’d been cured from his Ebola. Unlike her. She got up and walked to the bathroom, showered quickly, put her robe on and took a fresh pair of jeans and a dark green blouse from her closet. 

Beth was ready in less than 10 minutes but Rio seemed to be annoyed with her keeping him waiting, anyhow.

”Let’s go”, he said curtly and turned his back on her.

 

—————————————

 

They arrived at a shabby warehouse in an abandoned industrial area. Beth had never been there before but she didn’t want to ask anything from him. He seemed gloomy and unapproachable and hadn’t spoken a word in the car, except for the directions he’d given her.

Beth parked in front of the building and followed Rio to a small door leading inside. She saw a dimly lit empty hall and the only thing that drew her attention in the space was a large plastic tarp on the floor. 

Rio hardly glanced around and gestured her to follow him. He strode to the other side of the hall, straight to a battered wooden cabinet standing against the wall. There was a gun on the top shelf and he took it in his hands and then started wiping it clean with a cloth he must have found in the same place. 

 Beth’s heart started slamming hard against her chest and a cold wave of fear surged over her. What was this? She’d done everything he’d asked for. They had just slept with each other, for God’s sake!

When he was done cleaning the gun he took a silencer from the same place and attached it to the gun. To Beth’s relief he didn’t point it to her but handed it over. She took it, not knowing what to do with it. It felt heavy in her hands and he looked at Rio, confused. 

”What am I supposed to do with this?”

”Fire it”, he answered. It sounded as if his words came between his teeth, almost against his will and he raised his eyebrow. 

”What!? Why?”

”Just fire it. Aim at the trash bin there, for example. Let’s see how good a shooter you are.”

Beth felt confused but maybe this was his way of showing that he cared. Maybe he wanted her to learn how to shoot. A flashback of the evening when she’d found him in her house after he’d got released from the jail hit her. It had been the first time she’d ever held a gun. He’d been furious. Now that she came to think of it, his expression wasn’t much friendlier now.

Beth lifted her hand and pointed at the bin and breathed in. She pulled the trigger. A muffled thump echoed in the hall. The trash bin was still there but she was proud that she’d managed to shoot in the first place. 

 Rio smirked and looked at her in that strange way again. 

”You’d need to take some lessons”, he only said and took the gun from her, wrapping it into the dirty cloth again.

”Now what?”, Beth asked. Something in his eyes made cold shivers snake through her body.

”This ain’t gonna take long”, he just replied. 

”Rio. I can see that you’re upset. What’s wrong?”, she tried.

”I haven’t done anything”, she added and heard how wretched she sounded. 

She could hear Rio snort. He sat down on a dirty sofa next to the cabinet, stretched out his legs, making himself comfortable.

Fuck this, she thought defiantly. If he wanted to behave like an asshole, then so be it. She would leave him here when this - whatever it was - would be over and wouldn’t talk to him before he’d apologized. Beth was too nervous to sit and walked back and forth in front of him.

 In less than five minutes she heard a car approaching the hall. In no time two of Rio’s thugs appeared at the door, a thin, scruffy, pale man in their grip. 

 Rio stood up and smiled but his eyes were ice cold.

”Pat”, he said and strode towards them.

 The thin guy between Rio’s men jumped and if his skin had appeared to be pale, it now turned plain white.

 ”Rio, Ri-ooh”, he stuttered and then a desperate flow of words started spilling from his mouth. 

 ”I-I really needed…the money, money, I was feeling so-o bad and they said…”

”Hush now”, Rio said deceptively soft and went to the man. 

He grabbed him by his neck and stared at him for a moment and then took a step back and put his hands together in front of him like he used to do when he wanted to explain something.

”You’re my old friend, Pat, you know that. But I’ve been watching you to fuck up your brain with that crystal for years now. I told you that ain’t wise and you’d end up in trouble, man.”

”Rio…”, Pat started but Rio continued as if he’d heard nothing.

”But that you’d go to that motherfucker Greggs and try setting us up. You know, I’ve had you followed for months and I’ve fed you nothing but bullshit ’cause you’ve been so out of order lately.”

 ”I’m so sorry”, Pat sobbed. ”I needed cash and you ain’t paying me no more!”

”Who brought food to your house, paid your rent and took care of your kid when you were lying in some shithole, not even remembering your name!? This is how you thank me, you go to my goddamn enemy?”, Rio shouted his rage now plain to see.

”I- I..”

 Rio turned his head away from the men as if to calm himself down. Then he asked almost friendly: ”You told everything you know about them to the boys?” Pat’s body seemed to slump and Beth doubted that he couldn’t have kept himself up if Rio’s men hadn’t kept him straight.

 ”Yeah, I s-swear, I told everything, plea-se, I’m sorry man, my boy need me, please…”

"Your boy’d have starved to death if it was up to you”, Rio roared. Pat flinched at the loud voice and started crying. Rio shook him until he was looking into his eyes again. 

”But I promise he’s gonna be okay. You hear me?”

Pat’s was still crying but when he heard the last words, his eyes started darting frantically around the room as if he were looking for an escape route. Suddenly the men beside Pat pushed him in the middle of the tarp. Rio avoided carefully stepping on the tarp, pulled the gun up, stepped back a bit and pointed at Pat. 

 Beth saw everything as if in slow motion. 

 

Rio pulling the trigger. 

Pat’s head jerking backwards. 

Blood splashing from the back of his head. 

Pat’s body falling to the ground. 

 

She heard a shrill noise and realized it was her own terrified scream. Rio lowered the gun, nodded to the guys and turned to Beth.

She hadn’t noticed that tears had started falling down her cheeks. Pat was lying in a pool of blood, in the middle of the plastic tarp that Rio’s men were already starting wrapping around his corpse. She felt nausea creeping up her throat and when her eyes met Pat’s lifeless stare, she threw up violently, gagging and coughing at the same time.

 

Beth felt Rio’s hand on her back and she tried to push him away. He took a firm grip on her and without saying a word, he then wiped her eyes and mouth with a handkerchief. 

She turned to Rio and stared at him. She couldn’t think of anything to say, her brain still trying to understand what she’d just seen. Rio’s face showed no emotions but his voice sounded almost sad when he talked.

 

”You remember what I said last night? That even though I wanna fuck you I don’t trust you.”

Beth didn’t understand anything but nodded absent-mindedly. 

”Well, sweetheart. Now I do.”

He lifted his hand. She saw the gun in his hand. The same one she’d just fired only a couple of minutes ago. She saw that he wore gloves. She saw him taking a plastic bag from the cabinet, pushing the gun into it and heard him adding:

”If you ever think about snitching again, remember that I’m keeping this gun in a safe place and the only fingerprints on it are yours. It takes me less than a half an hour to let the cops find Pat’s body wherever it is buried - with the bullet cases - and deliver the gun to them. Come to think about it, he had this bad habit of mugging people to get his next fix. Maybe he met a suburban bitch with a gun.”

 

Beth fought to keep herself up. She was shaking, her voice trembling,  her words tumbling  over themselves: 

”You…I can’t…you just killed him, killed him…I can’t believe you’re doing something like this… I thought we were past this, I don’t get it, I just… After all…after what we…last night…I…I don’t understand…What did I do…I just…? ”

 She hated, how pleading and incoherent she sounded when she should have been slapping him in the face.

Rio took her by her shoulders, shook her a little and spoke then quietly in that condescending, sardonic manner, which he used when he was dissatisfied or annoyed with her:

”What did you think? That the sweet cunt of yours would make me forget everything? That you’d have the upper hand over me just ’cause I fucking loved to screw you? Maybe you even thought we’d live happily ever after just because you made me come so hard?”

 

”No, no! I knew you’d go…”

Beth looked at the cold mask of his face and stopped talking. 

Rio looked at her one more time and Beth felt the painful words hit her.

”Now, darling. _Now_ , we’re good.”

 

He turned away, the plastic bag in his hand and Beth collapsed onto the sofa, her head in her hands. She couldn’t understand how things had taken such a turn. It was as if she’d fallen from heaven to hell in mere seconds. 

 

When she recovered enough to look around again, she saw that the plastic tarp, Pat’s corpse, and the men were gone.

 

She started walking towards the door and felt burning pain spreading all over her body from her chest. How could she have surrendered herself to that kind of man? On some level, she’d known that Rio couldn’t have climbed up the ladder of the underworld without spilling blood, but vague thoughts were a whole different story than seeing him in action.

 

She found her keys and went to her car. 

 

He’d done her a favor, she decided. This was the reality check she’d needed. He had used her, played her and he distrusted her so much that he was ready to frame her for murder. 

 

Beth decided that her head would be clear from now on. She would never think or dream of Rio after this, ever again. She would start dating normal men, and maybe, just maybe, someday, she could find happiness again.

 

She cried the entire way back home.


	6. Chapter 6

The weeks after they had met for the last time were hideous. Beth played perfect mom, she baked, she drove the kids to school and their hobbies, she talked with her friends. 

When Annie asked if everything was ok, she smiled and assured, that she was just a bit tired. It wasn’t a lie. 

In her bedroom she cried half the nights and half of them she dreamt of Rio. Him touching her, him shooting Pat, his last words to her, his tortured gaze in that one magical night. She cried in the shower remembering how it had felt to be in his arms, the wild joy of surrendering herself to him and the depth of her grief after his last betrayal. 

When two months had gone by, she got angry at herself. What the hell was wrong with her? She was crying after a criminal, missing a cold-blooded killer who’d caused nothing but pain to her. She remembered what she had sworn to herself in the car when she had driven away from that horrible scene. It was time to move on. She would start dating other men. The memories of Rio would fade, time was merciful in that way. 

But it wasn’t that easy. There were men, that was not a problem. She just didn’t feel anything, no sparks flying, no challenge, no consuming lust. Anyhow, when Kenny’s math teacher Paul asked her out, she accepted. He was fairly good-looking and undoubtedly intelligent. In one Friday evening they went to a small restaurant nearby.

After an hour Beth could have screamed. She was so bored that she was afraid of falling asleep. She had drunk a couple of margaritas in order to be able to follow Paul’s lecture about the quality of the teaching in Detroit or the art of solving sudokus.

Beth was staring at her phone and wondered if she should go to the ladies’ room and ask Annie to save her by calling a fake emergency call.  
”….then Brian got this invitation to the opening. It will be a huge event and the club will be one of the biggest in the city.”

Beth raised her eyebrow. How long had she not been listening? How had he moved from sudokus to clubs? She knew Brian, he was Paul’s younger brother and was trying to make a career in PR.

This was the first interesting topic they had discussed since they’d sat to the table and Beth asked curiously: ”Sorry I didn’t hear the name of the club, when will it be opened? I mean, I hardly go to clubs anymore, but I’m so glad that Brian got invited!”

”Oh, I think it was Colors. There has been some buzz and rumors going around about the place. The main investor is said to be involved with organized crime though he hasn’t been accused of anything. Even the FBI has arrested him once but he got released. However, Brian told me in confidence, that Senator Parker is expected to be there, too. I don’t think he’d be there if he’d suspect, the place was in the hands of criminals.”

Beth felt herself stiffen. She straightened her back and squeezed the stem of her glass so hard that her knuckles went white. ”Oh, I might have seen that in the news! ”What was his name again? Maybe there is some truth in it, you know, there’s seldom smoke without fire.”

”I don’t remember the name, but he’s of Latin American origin. I read a story about him only a couple of days ago in the local newspaper. The story was related to the news about the club. He was grown up in the projects and sentenced for some minor drug-related offense when he was younger. You shouldn’t really be so biased Beth. It’s hard to grow up in that kind of environment and even if somebody would do something stupid as a kid it doesn’t mean he’ll end up being criminal later in his life.”

Beth had just taken a sip of her drink and almost spilled it out. She felt like laughing out loud, Hysterically. She needed to get out of here, right now. 

”Paul, I’m sorry, but I’m really tired. Could we go now? It’s been really nice talking to you, but…”

Paul looked a bit guilty. ”Maybe I have bored you with my sudoku stories. I’m so sorry.”

Beth wanted to shout ”yes” ten times but assured him politely that that wasn’t the case. When they arrived at her house, she gave Paul a chaste kiss on his cheek and marched inside. 

She had got an idea.

—————————-

Beth stepped in the club in the opening night early. 

She had contacted a well-known local feminist group led by Rosie McDonnell a week ago and told that senator Parker would attend the club opening. Beth and Rosie had been friends in high school and even though they hadn’t met for ages they were still friends on Facebook.

The senator had kept a low profile since two women had sued him for suggesting sexual favors in exchange for a promotion and many of her former employees had told about his sexist way of talking to his female employees.

When she had suggested a demonstration in the club in #metoo style, the group had been exhilarated. The place would be full of waitresses and everybody knew that they suffered from harassment on a regular basis. The only problem was, that she hadn’t had an invitation, but Brian had managed to get her one after she’d bought him a chopper he’d craved for. It was a good thing she still had some of the money from the money laundering times.

Beth had felt like a soldier who was preparing herself for the biggest fight of her life. She went shopping and decided to choose something flashy and seductive. No blacks or navy this time. She wanted to make such an entrance that Rio would swallow his tongue. After all, if there was one thing she knew with absolute certainty, it was that he wanted her body. Even when he’d thrown those last hurtful words at her, he had been talking about her ”sweet cunt” and how she ”made him come so hard”. 

After two days of wandering around the high-end boutiques, she found exactly what she needed. A red dress that hugged her curves tightly and glimmered a bit when she moved. It had such a low neckline that she blushed when she saw herself in the mirror. She had to buy a strapless corselet as well because the dress revealed most of her shoulders, too. The effect was superb. Her white breasts almost seemed to spill out of the dress but due to short sleeves and knee-length, it didn’t look tacky at all. 

Smuggling the activists into the club wasn’t a big effort. The kitchen was full of people and when somebody came and asked about the bunch of new girls, Beth used her refined lying skills, waving her PR pass, informing haughtily that there were more people coming than expected and that the girls would save the night. Nobody had time to argue with her and she took Rosie and the girls to a spacious cleaning closet she’d found before.

There were no signs of Rio’s goons around who would have recognized her, she noticed. Of course not, if he wanted to appear as a respectable citizen with no skeletons in the closets.

Beth saw when he arrived. A shudder of satisfaction ran over her when she watched him shaking hands with the management of the club and the early guests from a far corner of the club. Rio wore another black three-piece suit and a burgundy shirt that screamed quality but he still somehow didn’t seem to fit the place. At least as an owner of the place. He looked dangerous. And so smoking hot that Beth needed to give herself at least ten mental slaps in her face.

She saw him climb the steps in his careless manner to the upper floor where the offices were located. Beth checked the watch. Tension, excitement and fear battled inside her and for a moment she thought terrified what the hell she was doing and how she could pull this off. After a moment though, she hardened herself and told herself to get a grip of herself and to concentrate. She remembered her firing the gun, Pat’s corpse, Rio’s contemptuous words. To hell with it, he deserved to be punished. She couldn’t scare him by shooting people in front of him, but this might work. She could cause at least some disturbance.

She heard noise coming from the front door and Beth saw senator Parker arriving. She bit on her lip and marched upstairs.

—————————————

It didn’t take long to find Rio. The manager of the club was coming downstairs and tried to stop her from going upstairs but she spun a convincing story about Rio’s interest in investing in her PR business and that he’d wanted to meet her personally before he’d go and meet the senator. The manager gave up. He looked strained and hurried himself downstairs.

She stopped behind the door and breathed deep in. This was it. Showtime.

Beth pushed the door open and strode inside, a small smile on her face. Rio was behind a large desk scrolling through some papers and didn’t lift his head right away. ”What is it? I have to go downstairs”, he snapped in an impatient voice. Beth reached the desk before he looked up. 

He definitely looked surprised. His gaze stopped at her face for a second. ”What the hell you doing here? And how did you get in here?”, he retorted but Beth could see his eyes starting gleam when he took in her appearance. Actually, I seemed that his eyes bulged a bit when his eyes started wandering on her.

"I thought to come and meet the honorable businessman. You’ve been busy. Have you stopped killing people? How come I don’t believe that.”

It looked like Rio hadn’t heard a word. His eyes looked feverish, they lingered on Beth’s cleavage and shoulders and moved very slowly to her waist, down to her hips and legs and then back up again. 

”What do you want?”

Beth smiled and leaned her arms against the desk before him, giving him as magnificent a view to her breasts as possible. He didn’t disappoint her. She saw his eyes dilate and his jaw set tight as if he was gritting his teeth. But the attention she caught was a double-edged sword. She felt herself melting, warmth creeping between her thighs and her breasts felt so heavy and hard that she feared they might pop out of her obscene neckline.

Beth had to gather all her self-control and strength to continue this show. She heard her voice coming from somewhere deep down, hoarse and breathy.

”The two months have been a living hell for me. I have nightmares, I’m afraid. I don’t trust people anymore. I cry for all the people you have killed and I cry for you even though you sure as hell don’t deserve any of it. And how you treated me. Sure I betrayed you, but I know you felt something when we slept together. And then you talk about it as if it was something dirty and sordid. You make me sick. And now you’re here playing a regular businessman.”

Rio lifted his eyebrows and looked into her eyes with squinted eyes. 

”Is there a point to this harangue? Because I’ve got no time listening to your little worries. Go to a shrink if the reality is too hard for you to deal with.”

”Oh, there is a point, you son of a bitch!”, she snapped. ”Sit down and don’t you dare interrupting me before I’m done.”

She saw Rio leaning back in his chair and she walked around the desk and sat on it so, that her body was as near as possible without touching him. His eyes were wandering again on her body. She felt flushed and aroused but she was too mad to let it disturb her.

”There are 25 feminist activists downstairs waiting. The girls all have a great big sign with #METOO written on it. You know Rosie McDonnell? No? Well, she’s the most well-known feminist in the city and she has prepared a nice little speech. It states that it should be impossible for the waitresses and all women, on the whole, to work in the same space with Senator Parker who’ll be sued for sexually harassing and blackmailing women. She will draw attention to the ridiculous bikinis the waitresses have to wear and who knows what great ideas about a woman’s status in our society she has to say. I haven’t read it through but she sure knows how to use words.”

As she was still speaking she heard a loud noise coming from downstairs and Rosie speaking into the microphone. 

”I guess they just started. You know, your senator friend might be just a little bit angry. And after this, you have to make some kind of statement to the media about how you think women should be treated. Maybe in your case, you should make a statement about how to treat people on the whole. I’m sure your goons and business partners in your less legit business will laugh themselves to death.”

Rio’s lips were parted, his eyes were hooded, dark and sparkling with furious anger.

Beth felt uncertainty grow in the pit of her stomach, but she continued in a voice that sounded surprisingly steady: ”How does it feel to be played? I know this is probably a minor loss to you, but maybe you get a picture. In an ordinary world, you cannot shoot everybody who causes problems to you!” 

The noises downstairs seemed to grow louder, somebody shouted on a loudspeaker and Beth waited Rio rushing to see what was happening and trying to calm things down. It didn’t happen.

Instead, Rio’s hand wandered on her leg and upwards to the inside of her right thigh. Her legs opened as if he’d forced them open even though his touch was light as a feather. Beth felt that she was spiraling down into the vortex of dangerous feelings, she’d sworn not to feel anymore, but she couldn’t help herself. 

In a swift move that resembled a panther attacking a pray he stood up so fast that the chair behind him fell over. He grabbed Beth’s hips so that she fell onto the desk on her back.  
”I don’t give a damn about other bitches - oh excuse me, ladies! - but I know how you wanna be treated.”

He leaned over her, grasped tightly a fistful of her hair and pushed his face into hers. ”This is what you want, right?”, he growled and tugged at the tight hem of her dress up until it was around her hips and Rio had access to push himself between her legs. Beth breathed hard and she felt how embarrassingly wet she’d become. 

This was not what she’d planned. She’d planned to tease and irritate Rio with her sexy looks, show him what he’d lost and then walk away with her head held high.  
She should fight. She should shout. She should....Beth forgot what she should do. God help her, but she had missed this. Him.

Her rebellious thoughts vanished once and for all, when she felt Rio pulling her neckline down and baring her breasts and shoulders and sucking on her other rock hard nipple and pinching the other one. His other hand dove between her legs and when he found her aching drenched pussy he ripped her tiny panties down and pushed two long fingers inside her. 

She couldn’t help a loud howl escaping her mouth. Rio lifted his head and gave her a violent kiss, his tongue plunging into her mouth. Then he muttered ”I fucking knew it. You just can’t leave me alone can you?” Beth was squirming under his weight. She had lost her ability to talk but Rio seemed to have a lot to say. 

”I’ve got my hands full the whole fucking time and everything I can think every goddamn day and night is how you feel around me, how you’re screaming when I make you come and how much I want to fuck your brains out. I’m tryin to do you a favor and make you see who I am, and you just fucking keep coming back.”

He pressed his thumb against her clit and let it slide to her entrance and back.  
Beth was sobbing and she fought against the orgasm she felt coming. His desperate voice made her feel dizzy and when he took his fingers away, she could have screamed out of disappointment. 

”If my men are gonna laugh about somethin’ it’s not your little game. It’s the way you make me crazy. I can’t even fuck other women anymore.”

Then he pulled Beth back up. He sat her on the edge of the desk and opened his belt. She was practically naked but he made her feel so wanton that she enjoyed the pleasurable pain in his eyes when he watched her bare skin. Beth’s hands moved of their own accord. She removed his coat, his vest and was then at last able to open the buttons of his shirt. 

Rio stepped deeper between her legs and spread them wide open. He pushed his pants and briefs down and Beth watched mesmerized how hard she had made him. 

A shudder of pleasure ran through her when she felt his hard cock pressing her wet slit, teasing and letting it slide between her needy lips and on her clitoris. Beth’s body arched and she circled her arms tightly around Rio’s neck. He teased her wet core only a moment longer, his breath ragged and need glinting in his eyes. When he entered her and pushed as deep as he could, Beth cried out loud and wrapped her legs around his hips.

It was furious. Beth clung herself on Rio as he banged into her fast and relentlessly, biting her lips, her neck and shoulders. 

As her climax hit her in violent waves, Rio followed her as soon as he felt her contractions around him. She heard him swearing and shouting her name when he plunged inside one last time. 

Their ecstasy sent them into a black hole where there was nothing else but the two of them floating in their pleasure. Beth’s brain couldn’t form any thoughts in those magical moments, but she could feel. And she felt something warm that wrapped itself around her like a blanket. Something she’d never felt before. 

After minutes or hours, Rio pulled out of her and helped her back to her feet. He rearranged her dress, put her panties in his pocket with a mischievous glint in his eyes and then pulled Beth tightly against his chest, his hands caressing the small of her back and moving from there up to her neck and back down. 

They stared at each other and Beth was wondering what was going through his mind. His dark eyes sent sparkles all around her body and mind and she saw a smile hovering around his mouth.

”I don’t give a fuck about the shit storm downstairs right now. I’ve got the management to handle it. But I don’t let you march away without talking with me. Not now.”

”You’re done giving orders to me”, Beth blurted defiantly even though she felt shamefully content at his words, ”And I’ve already said what I have to say.”

”But I haven’t. And I ain't gonna give you orders.”, Rio replied. ”Elizabeth. You wanna come with me? I promise I ain’t gonna hurt you.” Then she heard him muttering something in her hair that sounded like a muffled "please".

Beth buried her face into the crook of his neck and pressed herself even tighter against him. She felt her body and mind humming with joy. He had never held her in this way as if his life was depending on her. 

A stubborn voice in her head nagged at her that she should say no, that her feelings were wrong, that this man had caused nothing but pain to her and that she would be happier without him.  
”Yes, you’re right”, she said to the voice inside her head, ”and I don’t give a flying fuck.”

Then she lifted her head and looked into Rio’s eyes.  
”Yes. I come with you.”, she replied simply.

He ran his finger from her neck to her cheek and then to her lips. 

”Let’s go then.”


	7. Chapter 7

When Beth and Rio went downstairs, the most of the chaos had died down. Beth saw Rosie being interviewed by a reporter and the manager of the club by another. 

”Seth looks a bit queasy”, Rio said gesturing the manager and chuckled.  
The Senator had obviously been escorted out.  
”I’ve got to talk to him”, he said and nodded in Seth’s direction. ”Wait here”, he added and left Beth at the bar.

In no time she had company. A tall blond man sat down beside her and looked at her admiringly. 

”Hi! I’m Daniel.” He looked friendly and sober and Beth greeted him back.  
”Would you like to have something to drink?  
Beth glanced in Rio’s direction. He was in the middle of a heated discussion with Seth. She nodded.  
”Why not. A bourbon. But I’m not staying, I have to go soon.”  
”Ok, one bourbon it is. One hell of an opening, isn’t it? I bet it’s is already online and tomorrow the papers will be full of the demonstration against Parker.”  
Beth got her bourbon and smiled politely.  
”I just wonder, how they knew Parker would be here.”, she said, a hint of self-satisfaction in her voice and was just about to continue when Rio came back.  
”Exactly what I’m wondering, too”, he drawled.

Beth felt his hand on her neck and goosebumps rose on her arms. She turned around to meet his gaze but found him staring at Daniel so coldly that Beth wouldn’t have been surprised if the poor man would have frozen to death under his gaze.

”Errr…this is my…companion”, Beth started and was about to introduce Rio to Daniel but Rio interrupted her.  
”Right. And now we go.”  
He took her hand and led her towards the front door.  
”What was that about? If you try to make it in the legit business, you have to start improving your social skills!”  
Rio didn’t say a word, his expression gloomy and Beth wondered if she’d made a mistake by promising to go with him. She stopped when they’d made it through the doors and pulled her hand off his grip.  
”If you’re going to act like an asshole, I won’t come. I’ve got my share of that and tonight I’m absolutely not in the mood for it”, she announced. Rio turned to look at her and frowned.”  
”You take care of your own social skills! We just fucked and five minutes later you’re flirting with other men!”  
Beth was speechless for a moment and her heart started pounding in her chest.  
”I wasn’t flirting with him”, she then said as if she’d talked to Emma. ”He was being nice, that’s all.”  
Rio snorted.  
”Yeah, sure he was. He couldn’t take his eyes off your tits.”  
A surge of satisfaction went through her and she stepped a bit closer, her voice soft and teasing.  
”You’re jealous?”  
Rio turned his head as if there was something interesting in the streets.  
”Can we go and talk at my place?”  
His voice was low and Beth couldn’t help smiling a bit.  
A black limo slid next to the pavement. Rio raised his eyebrows inquiringly.  
Beth shrugged and nodded. She was far too curious to turn away now.

——————————-

Sitting in the limo with Rio was pure torture. He held her hand, slowly caressing the inside of her wrist with his thumb, but didn’t touch her otherwise. He had turned his head away from her and looked out of the window at the streets passing by.

When the car pulled over and Beth stepped out, she was a bit surprised. She’d known that Rio had grown up in the projects but she hadn’t expected him living there anymore. He escorted her in a high redbrick building. The lobby was filthy and the walls covered with graffitis and Beth could smell a faint scent of marijuana in the air.

They took a lift to the top floor in silence. When the doors opened he opened a door to his left. Beth stepped inside and it felt as if she’d stepped into another world compared to what she’d just seen.

Beth hadn’t visited the projects before, but she was almost sure that the apartment had been created by combining multiple smaller apartments. There seemed to be no walls at all, the floors were wooden and in the middle of the space, there was a comfortable looking black couch set. On her left, she could see the kitchen island and cabinets with black marble countertops. Simple and stylish, she thought.

”Come here”, Rio said. He led her onto the sofa and sat down next to her. He threw a glance at her and swore under his breath. Then he took his jacket off and handed it over to Beth.  
”Put this on. I can’t do talking if you look like that.” Beth wanted to grin but didn’t say anything and put the jacket obediently on. There was a short pause and he looked a bit uneasy. Beth waited. She wouldn’t open her mouth first now that he’d asked her here.

”I don’t like it”, he then blurted without turning his face to her, staring at the opposite couch, his brows tied into a knot.  
Beth felt a bit confused.  
”You don’t like what?”  
He pursed his lips together.  
”How you make me feel.”  
”And how is it I make you feel?”, Beth asked, holding her breath.  
”Unstable”, he snapped and leaned his arms against his knees. ”I don’t do unstable. Ever.”

Beth felt a strangling lump in her throat. That was one way to put it. But he could’ve at least looked at her when speaking about their…whatever it was, she thought annoyed.

”There’s something I don’t like either”, Beth answered in the same tone. ”I don’t like you shooting other human beings. Among other things.”

He stretched his legs out and leaned against the couch, almost lying on it, his gaze focused on the ceiling.  
”It was necessary. Inevitable.”  
His voice gave nothing away.  
”Inevitable.”, Beth repeated in a flat voice. ”In what kind of world do you live?”  
”In a world where you and your people get killed if you don’t stand up against your enemies. Pat had it coming. If I hadn’t done it, Greggs would’ve. That shithead would’ve endangered my whole business if I hadn’t kept an eye on him.”  
”Couldn’t you just send him away?”, she asked desperately.  
”What?” Rio let out a short barking laugh. ”I should’ve sent him to the Caribbeans? As a reward for betraying me?”

Beth felt miserable. This kind of life was so far away from her reality that she couldn’t really understand it. 

”How many people have you killed?”, she whispered.

At last, he turned to look at her.  
”As few as possible. I don’t take pleasure in it like some guys.”  
”That wasn’t an answer.”  
”Ok, here’s an answer”, he huffed impatiently.  
”I don’t know. If you count the times I’ve ordered someone else to do it, it must be somewhere between ten and twenty.” 

His face looked calm and controlled but there was pain lingering in his eyes when he continued:  
”It’s impossible to do what I do without showing who’s in charge. Sometimes it means killing someone. But it’s always business for me. I don’t kill people who ain’t got nothing to do with the business.”

They sat quietly for a while. Beth felt sick but she needed to know more.

”So there it is”, Rio said with a bitter tone. ”You can’t deal with this kind of shit and I can’t change what I am.”

Beth swallowed and couldn’t deny that there was truth in his words. But she had to know more. Even if she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it.

”When did you kill for the first time?”  
Rio let out a low annoyed sigh.  
”What does that have to do with anything?”  
”I - I just try to understand…”  
”Well you can’t”, he retorted but then breathed in and fixed his gaze with Beth’s.  
”I was twelve.”

Tears simmered in Beth’s eyes and she had to fight from flinching.

Rio continued with a hard voice: ”My old man left when I was six. But I had this great uncle. He brought us food and cash ’cause my mom has this condition, she’s bipolar, and she often couldn’t work. Slim - that’s my uncle - was part of a gang and dealing drugs. He gave me my first gun. I was nine and he taught me to shoot. 

He paused for a moment and Beth saw his a crooked smile on his lips.

"I was so proud. I kept the gun always with me but I never shot anything. Except for empty bottles or cans which I used as targets. 

"One day I was hanging with my mates in our street and saw my mom coming home with groceries. There was this fuckhead Ted at the front door. He had harassed half of the women in our neighborhood and I saw him playing gentleman and taking the groceries from my mom even though she didn’t want to give them to him.

"I followed them home. The door was open and there he was. He’d hit my mom half-unconscious and pulled her jeans down. He had his dick in his hand. He saw me and started laughing at me." 

"I only remember I wanted him gone for good. I took the gun out of my pocket and shot. Straight between his eyes.”

His voice was steady and void of any emotion but Beth saw a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.

”My mom told me to run. I did. She told the cops somebody she didn’t know had seen them and shot Ted. Nobody cared to dig too deep into it. Ted was a convicted burglar and rapist. The cops didn’t give a fuck.”

Beth stared at her lap and tried to imagine what that kind of childhood might have been. Into what kind of men and women people grew up in such circumstances. She’d always felt secure and protected in her childhood and she felt ashamed of complaining about her mother’s annoying habits or her father’s inability to talk about his feelings.

”I’m so sorry”, she whispered. 

Rio’s eyes blazed.  
”Don’t pity me. I’ve done better than most people and I have more money I’ve got time to spend.”  
”Money isn’t everything”, Beth said hoarsely.  
”No. Trust is”, he replied.

Beth squeezed her hands together and sighed dispiritedly. There was it again.  
This wouldn’t go anywhere and she was tired of being accused of what she had done in good faith for her family.

”It’s become loud and clear”, she said bitterly. ”But you got what you wanted, didn’t you? You said it yourself. You trust me now. That’s great. I’d like to leave now.”

She tried to stand up but wasn’t fast enough.

Rio grasped her arm and yanked it so that she ended up sideways onto his lap.  
”You can go in a minute. But I haven’t said what I wanted to say in the first place.”

He squeezed Beth against his chest, touched her cheek on his fingertips, his eyes grave and sincere.  
”I shouldn’t have dragged you there. That was vile of me.”  
”It was”, Beth whispered.  
”I’m sorry.”

She was certain that apologizing didn’t come easily to him. It didn’t make everything good, but it was a start. His eyes looked tortured and she took his face between her hands and kissed him softly. Then, against her better judgment she traced his lips with the tip of her tongue. 

”This ain’t wise”, he said hoarsely against her lips.  
”No”, she agreed.  
”You hate me”, he tried.  
”I’d love to”, she replied.  
Rio pushed the jacket off her shoulders.  
”This dress should be illegal.”  
”You must be right. After all, you’re the expert of illegal here.”  
”Well then, I’d better take it off of a good girl.”

Rio reached for the zipper behind and removed the dress.  
Beth turned on his lap so that she straddled him, wearing only the corselet and her heels.  
She opened his buttons and pressed her hand against his deliciously erect cock under the pants.  
”Goddamn, Elizabeth”, Rio muttered and pulled her into a passionate kiss, letting his hands wander all over her body and taking off her corselet.  
”I’m not sure good girls do something like this.”  
She kissed his tattooed throat and moaned when she felt his finger in his wet hot slit.  
”That’s a topic you know nothing about. Besides, I feel very very good”, she muttered breathily.

At that, he had nothing to say. He grabbed her hips, stood up and carried her to the bed. When he joined her she climbed on top of him taking his hard cock in her hand. He hissed when she squeezed it and moved down so that she could taste him. When her lips enclosed around the tip of his penis and sucked on it gently, she heard him grunting. She sucked a bit harder and took him deeper into her mouth, squeezing him with her hand from the base.  
Beth felt him growing even harder even though she had imagined it impossible.  
”Holy fucking shit!”, he groaned.

Rio grasped her head and croaked: ”Come here before you make me look bad. I can’t take that for long.”

She obeyed, kissing him, exploring his mouth as thoroughly as possible but when she felt him running his finger in her achingly wet pussy, she moaned out loud and bit on his shoulder. He brushed her clit and penetrated her slowly. Too slowly. Beth yanked her hips pleadingly but he kept her hips in place. When he was fully sheathed, he drew himself out just as slowly. Beth closed her eyes and heard her begging voice repeating one word.  
”Please. Please. Please.”

He seemed to hear her and let her hips free to move. He found her clit again and Beth opened her eyes. She leaned her arms against his shoulders and started riding. It felt so good. So good that she doubted she could live without it anymore. She locked her gaze with him. Rio’s gaze was fiery and full of passion, making every cell in her body quivering. In a matter of seconds, she climaxed sobbing and clenching so hard around him that she heard him swear again. 

In a swift move, she felt how he rolled her on her side, embraced her and let her recover a little. Then he whispered into her ear. ”You really ain’t a good girl.” He pinched her nipple and said: ”I’ve got to show you how bad girls get treated.” 

Rio put her on her knees and guided her hands to grab the headboard of the bed, and spread her legs from behind so that her ass and pussy were fully exposed for him.

”Look to your right”, he said hoarsely. Beth was already unbearably aroused again but when she turned her head she saw herself from the mirror surface of his wardrobe, offering herself, her back arched and her breasts hard and tight. Rio watched her through the mirror, kneeling behind her and letting his hands run from her asscheeks to her waist and breasts. She felt wetness pooling between her legs, flowing along the insides of her thighs and pushed her ass a bit further back.  
”Take me. Now.”, she managed to moan.  
He plunged into her, taking her breasts in a tight grip, thrusting himself impossibly deep.

He let out a loud grunt, moving his hands onto her hips to be able to push even deeper.  
Beth watched it all through the mirror, mesmerized. It wouldn’t take her long to come again. 

When Rio’s hands squeezed her breasts and pulled and twisted her nipples, she screamed. But when his other hand left her breasts and he thrust his index finger into her anus, she screamed even louder. 

With his long hard thrusts, it was too much and she started convulsing around him. ”You horny little vixen”, she heard him growling into her ear. That was the last thing she could take in before she exploded and spiraled into that mindless miraculous space again. He followed her almost simultaneously pushing her against the headboard and pressing his finger hard against her clit. Tears were falling down Beth’s face and it felt as if her orgasm would never end. 

After what felt like an eternity he dragged them both down onto the bed and pressed her against his chest, his hand possessively around her waist and his chin against her hair. 

Before Beth fell asleep she felt Rio pulling a duvet on them and heard him muttering against her head: ”Elizabeth.”


	8. Chapter 8

The next couple of weeks went by in an ecstatic haze. When the kids were at Dean’s, Beth would visit Rio and sometimes they stayed the whole weekend in his apartment, hardly leaving the bed. He would make them breakfast and Beth was cooking if they didn’t order take away. When the kids were at home, Rio was visiting her in the daytime or the night. 

Somewhere in the back of her head, she was afraid that she was falling far too hard, but didn’t want to think about it further. One reason was, that she wasn’t sure about Rio. She knew he felt something for her, but she couldn’t tell if it was just a passing infatuation based on the unbelievable sex he couldn’t resist. Or something more. She hoped for the latter. 

One Saturday morning Beth woke up in his apartment and cuddled herself nearer and pressed her breasts against his chest. She saw his sleepy eyes open and she put her hand on his cheek. Rio’s eyes brightened in a second and he pulled her tighter against him and opened his mouth.   
”I need to tell you something, woman”, he drawled and let his hand wander on her hip.   
”I’ve never slept so good as I do with you.”  
”I’m not sure if I’m flattered to be compared to a sleeping pill.”  
He rolled her under him and locked his gaze with Beth’s.   
”You ain’t a pill, darling. If I’ve got to compare you to something, you’d be a never-ending marathon.”  
”You just slept 9 hours.”  
”I know. And now I ’m gonna start all over again.”  
”You’re going to run?”, Beth replied with an innocent smile.  
”No, I’m not running anywhere”, he grinned against her lips and started demonstrating her his idea of a marathon. 

—————————

In one Friday afternoon Beth was busy doing laundry and came back to the living room when Annie and Ruby showed up without a warning. They had two bottles of wine with them.  
”Were we supposed to meet?”, she asked amazed that she would have forgotten because he was about to meet Rio later in the evening.  
”No”, Annie replied perkily. ”This is an intervention.”

Ruby frowned at Beth and explained more.   
”You’ve been acting strangely for a while now. Some time ago you looked as if you’d be a zombie, who’d climbed out of a grave, but you didn’t want to talk about that. Now you’ve been smiling all the time like a maniac. Your everyday life can’t be so damn hilarious that you have to laugh out loud at our every word like in that café a couple of days ago, or grin while doing the dishes or cleaning up the house.”

Beth opened her mouth but didn’t have time to say anything before Annie interrupted her. 

”Have you met someone? We don’t see each other as often as usual and that’s strange too. Is it Paul? I remember you went for a date with him and after that you’ve been happier. Even though, I’m thinking, seriously? Paul?”  
Annie straightened herself, still staring at Beth and continued.   
”Our second guess is that you’re doing drugs.”

Beth burst out laughing, a bit hysterically, she had to admit, but the idea of a passionate affair with Paul was too much.   
Annie frowned at her.   
”See, that’s what I mean. Something’s going on but you don’t tell us.”

Beth shut her mouth.  
”Ok. Let me get the glasses”, she then sighed and bought some time for herself. 

She hadn’t told her friends about her relationship with Rio, because it all had been such a bumpy road and she didn’t know where it would end. She also had her doubts about how the girls would react to the whole business.

They sat to the dinner table and Beth blushed when she remembered her and Rio screwing on the table a couple of days ago, exactly like she’d told to agent Turner.  
”Well, spill it out”, Annie demanded and Beth took a big gulp of her wine.   
”I’m sleeping with Rio”, she blurted out. 

Annie and Ruby exchanged glances with each other. 

”I KNEW it had something to do with him! Well, he could have organized drugs for you as well, but this is more believable.”  
”Excuse me, but what’s believable here!”, Ruby asked in a high-pitched voice. ”He has been using and hurting you and you do what? You’re happy as a hippo and thank him by spreading your legs!”

Beth blushed and at moment she was thankful that her friends didn’t know everything that had happened. For example of that horrid day in that warehouse.

She was fiddling with her wine glass, meeting their gazes at last.   
”You know the movie ”Dangerous Liaisons”? In one scene Vicomte Valmont rejects his one true love Madame de Tourvel and denies his love because he’s ashamed of his feelings. He keeps repeating that it’s beyond his control. That he just stopped loving her and he can’t help it.”

She kept a short pause and then continued with a trembling voice:

”Well, when it comes to Rio, it’s…beyond my control. I can’t help it. I want him so much, I’ve never wanted anything so bad. Sometimes I want to hate him and I’ve been afraid of him, but when he’s near or he touches me, I just….  
She swallowed.   
”Beyond my control”, she added silently, her eyes back on the glass.

They sat in silence for a moment. It took time before the girls were recovered enough to say something.  
”How long has this been going on?”, Ruby asked.”

Beth coughed guiltily.  
”We kissed the night he came from the jail to my place and beat up Dean..”  
”You kissed him THAT NIGHT? How the hell did THAT happen? You told us, you were scared to death. In which part of that scene you decided ”Well, fuck that, I want to kiss this violent criminal? And are you now so far gone that you think he’s ideal boyfriend material?” 

Beth started to feel annoyed.   
”He’s not my boyfriend. And whether he’s ideal or not, it’s my decision.”

Annie hadn’t said anything for a while but Beth could see that she wasn’t as upset as Ruby was. 

She played with her glass, too. Then she started singing with a bad fake-Britney sound: ”Mama I’m in love with the criminal…” but then suddenly interrupted. ”Oh but that’s not right” she continued a considering expression on her face. ”’See, you’re the mama here!”   
She laughed heartily at her own joke.   
”Is it good?”, she then asked a playful glint in her eyes.

Beth’s lips curved into a big smile and she felt hot and flushed when she only thought about the last night.   
”Oh my god”, Ruby said.  
”Yeah, she’s in deep”, Annie admitted.  
”I’m not in love with him.”, Beth defended herself. ”We’re just sleeping together.”

The girls looked doubtful but their reaction was nothing compared with the churning feelings going through Beth’s head when she slipped the words out. She felt like Peter denying Jesus. She’d denied her love for Rio. 

Because, how difficult it might be continuing the relationship, she knew that it wasn’t infatuation or physical attraction to her, not anymore. She could have cried and laughed at the same time, but then the girls would surely return to the drug issue. So she kept talking and answering their questions until she had to say, that her head was aching. 

Se went to the bed early, soon after she’d put the kids to bed and waited for a dark figure slip into her bedroom her heart and head full of her newly acknowledged feelings. As if as a revenge for her realization, nothing happened.

Rio didn’t show up. 

————————-

He didn’t show up the next day either. She only got a text message that read: ”Can’t come”.

Beth felt a bit uneasy. There had been a couple of times he’d had to cancel, but he had then called and told her about it. She knew that his business was risky and that now and then there were surprises or disturbances that had to be taken care of. 

But why didn’t he call her? And why didn’t he answer when she called? She’d tried numerous times, but he wouldn’t pick up. 

After the third day, annoyance and hurt started to build in her. She drove to the projects and went to his apartment. One of Rio’s thugs stood in the lobby and gave her a long inquiring look, but didn’t try stopping her.

When she was at Rio’s door, she knocked. Once. Twice. Three times. 

Just when she decided that he obviously wasn’t home, the door opened. 

A beautiful small woman with long black hair and brown eyes stood in front of her, her face desperate and - was that fear? She had been crying and was trying to dry her tears.

Beth was speechless and a nauseating foreboding started spreading in her.

”Yes?”, the woman asked.  
”Is - is - Rio home? I tried to call him”, she stuttered.  
”No, he had to go”, the woman sobbed. 

The strange woman fiddled with her hair and looked absolutely miserable but continued politely:   
”He can’t take calls right now. Who are you? Would you like to leave a message?”

Beth tried to keep her voice calm.  
”No, but you can say I dropped by. My name is Beth. I think we haven’t met before?”  
”No, I don’t live here. My name is Paola. I’m Rio’s wife.”


	9. Chapter 9

Beth didn’t remember anything about her way home. After Paola’s introduction, she had just smiled vaguely and fled the scene. 

She was so shocked and numb that she couldn’t feel anything. A wife. The beautiful Paola. 

Hadn’t it been enough that Dean had turned out to be such a sleazebag? Wasn’t it enough that he had cheated on and lied to her? What was wrong with her? Now she was in love with not only a criminal but also an asshole.

Beth decided to unleash her anger and grief on her household. 

By the evening every cabinet and wardrobe, every tile in the bathroom and every single decorative item had been washed, cleaned or polished. She had probably ironed hundreds of clothes, vacuum-cleaned and washed the floors. In-between she had deleted Rio’s phone number from her contacts and drunk 3 big glasses of bourbon. 

When the kids came home, she tried to focus on helping them with their homework and making them dinner. When they finally went to bed she was such a sad mess, she didn’t know what to do with herself. 

Even though she was exhausted, she couldn’t fall asleep. She would have wanted to drink more bourbon but decided against it. She could get wasted tomorrow when the kids would be at Dean’s. Instead, she went to the kitchen and took a big box of chocolate ice-cream out of the freezer. She didn’t even notice that she ate all of it, watching old movies at the same time. 

Next morning her phone rang. She looked at the screen and stiffened. She recognized Rio’s number although she’d deleted his name from her contact list. Beth didn’t answer. He called again. She didn’t pick up. When her phone rang for the fifth time, she’d had enough. She felt tired, betrayed, hurt and so angry that she thought she could move mountains with her rage.

”What the hell do you want?”, she shouted at the phone before Rio had time to say anything.  
”Hello, darling. I thought you might be upset after Carlos told me you'd dropped by when I was away”, he replied, sounding only a bit strained.  
”Don’t you dare darling me! You have a wife - WIFE - and you didn’t bother telling me! Is it really such a trivial matter to you?”  
”Let’s talk about it later”, Rio said calmly. ”I have a problem”, he continued as if they were talking about gardening.  
”Of course you do”, Beth snapped. ”I can’t help you. Go fuck yourself or your wife or whatever harem you’ve got somewhere. And oh! Send that gun to whomever you wish. Or frame me for whatever you like. I don’t care anymore!” 

She threw her phone against the wall before Rio had time to react to her words. Then came the tears and she laid down on the bed and cried. How could he have sounded so calm on the phone? 

She didn’t have much time to recover from her burst of anger. In an hour she heard steps and somebody talking in the living room. Had Rio really dared to step into her house even after that phone call? She stormed to the room and found him with two other men in her living room. 

”What are you doing here? I don’t want to have anything to do with you. So you can leave now”, Beth said, her words like icicles. 

Rio looked at her and he nodded to his goons and replied.   
”I’m gonna explain if you shut up and listen for a second.”  
”I don’t want to hear it.”  
”Yes, you do.”  
”What’s the point?”  
”Like I said, I’m gonna explain. In the bedroom.”  
”Sure. That's your favorite place after all. The thing is, it’s the wrong bedroom. The right one is at your wife’s.”

Rio’s self-control seemed to break a bit and he looked at her, his eyes ablaze.   
”I can explain that, too! Just let me..”  
”I’m done with cheating assholes like you! You get out of here before I call the cops!”

Rio took her arm into a tight grip and started walking her towards the bedroom. She tried to fight back but he was too strong and managed to push her through the bedroom door. When they entered the bedroom, he slammed the door shut behind them. 

”I get it”, he assured. ”You’re fucking furious. And we’re gonna talk about Paola. Later. It’s not what it looks like.”  
”Oh, the ancient excuse of cheating reptiles! is she some kind of a stalker who’s imagining things and intruding your home?”  
”No, she’s my wife. And I have a son, Hugo.”

Beth flinched, swore under her breath and swallowed. She wouldn’t start weeping now.   
Rio held her by her arms and looked at her gravely. 

”Greggs found out about their location. I don’t know how. We’re separated and they are using Paola’s maiden name but maybe he’d paid off cops or some public officers. Just two of my men know where they live and I trust them.” 

”Greggs had Hugo kidnapped, thought to use my boy as a leverage, I guess. But he didn’t know I had them watched. I got the call right away after it happened and my man was behind them all the time until we surrounded them.”

”You’ve got a son?”, she whispered.  
”Yes. But, now, Elizabeth. You've got to go.”

Rio looked impatient and her name sounded like a warning when it slid out of his mouth. 

”I’ve got no time explaining everything now. I’ve got get you safe, too. You and your kids. Greggs’s been begging for war and war he’s gonna get. You told me your parents have this cottage somewhere in the countryside?"

Beth nodded, fear starting to snake up her spine.

”What do you mean by war?”  
”What does it usually mean?”, he asked in a dry tone.  
”You might die”, she pointed out flatly.  
”Yes”, he answered. ”But I’ve arranged so that you’ll do fine if something happens to me.”

Like a mistress from the 19th century, flashed in Beth’s mind but she didn’t say anything.  
If this was the last time she might see him, she wouldn’t fight with him anymore.

Rio stood still very close to her and their gazes locked. Behind the impatience, she saw the concern but there was also cruel determination. He seemed to notice that Beth didn’t want to argue anymore.  
His features softened for a moment, he lowered his head and let his lips brush her ear and then her cheek. She turned her head so, that his lips met hers and for a moment they were alone in the world.

Too soon he let her go. 

”My boys wait outside. They're gonna take you and your kids away from here and make sure nobody follows you. Don’t waste time packing. Take just what's necessary with you. 

Beth nodded.

He gave her another kiss on her lips and said quietly:

”Goodbye Elizabeth.”

—————————————

They were transported in two cars to the cottage, which was about 200 miles south of Detroit. Rio had left a generous stack of money for her, so feeding the group wouldn’t be a problem. The kids were excited about the unexpected holiday even though Beth found them throwing confused looks at their grumpy company. Dean had tried to ask questions but Beth had managed to convince him that she just needed some time. She had let him believe it was their divorce that she was going through and in no time Dean had guiltily shut up.

After two peaceful days, the news started flowing in. At first, it was in local media. Shootings, attacks in apartments, gangbangers killed execution-style, found in restaurants, toilets, cars. 

After five men were killed in an abandoned warehouse due to a powerful explosion the news went national. She was scared to death before she managed to squeeze that much information out of their guards that Rio was alive and the men in the warehouse had been Gregg’s.

Beth thought about the lost lives and the wrath that had driven Rio to go to such extents. She knew about his dark side, but it was always a shock to see or hear about the consequences of it. She didn’t sleep well and when she did, she dreamt of making love to Rio until he transformed into something terrifying, unnatural being who she didn’t recognize anymore.

After two weeks it was over. Greggs had been found in a brothel he’d owned, strangled to death with a stocking. Arrests were made on both sides but Rio’s name was not among them. There were speculations about his role in the gang war but there was no concrete evidence.

If Beth tried to ask Rio’s men about the situation, they refused to talk to her. Rio’s orders, she thought to herself bitterly. However, she heard them speak to each other and understood that they had lost men as well.

———————————-

They drove back home as soon as Rio had confirmed that it was safe to come back. He didn’t show up until the next week when the kids were at Dean’s. 

At first sight, he looked like he always did. A button-up shirt, bomber jacket, black jeans. But the muscles under his face were strained, and his eyes reminded Beth of a cornered wild animal ready to attack anytime. Beth gestured to the living room.

”How’s Hugo and Paola?”, she asked cautiously.   
”They’re ok.”

Rio was sitting on the sofa and Beth stepped in front of him and embraced him tightly. They stayed there for a long time. Then she climbed onto his lap, straddling him, wanting to comfort him. When she took his face in her hands she saw the empty glint in Rio’s eyes.   
”You remember the number I gave you that one night?”, Rio asked and Beth knew he meant the number of the killings.  
She nodded.   
”Well, it just got up. I’m flying high”, he said.   
”Come to bed and have some sleep”, Beth replied sounding more reasonable than she felt. She couldn’t start questioning him now that he seemed to be so tired he was hardly aware of his surroundings.

——————————-

Beth woke up later in the night. She turned around and met Rio’s wistful gaze. He was resting his elbow against the bed and had braced his head against his hand. 

Before she could say anything he said: 

”She’s my wife but only by name. We’ve been separated for 12 years. I got her knocked-up. Her family is deeply Catholic and we got married. It was a mistake from the start. She left me when Hugo was two years old."  
Then he added sardonically: " She didn’t like, how I was making money.”

Beth listened, without saying a word. 

”When I climbed up the organization, I bought them a house from Canada. She didn’t want anything from me but I explained they’d be safer there. We only meet when I visit Hugo.”

”Why didn’t you divorce, then?”  
”Well, for the Catholics there is no such thing as divorce. Of course, I could’ve done it juridically but I didn’t care. I swore not to get in that kind of trouble again.”

Beth felt her heart twist in her chest and she swallowed painfully. She'd got the answer she'd needed and feared, but she forced herself to speak up.

”I don’t know what you felt for Paola years ago but what we have…I know it's more than just fucking and having fun. For you, too”, she whispered.

Rio shook his head.  
”It can’t be. What just happened was exactly what I needed. A great reminder. I’d put you and your family at risk.”

Beth closed her eyes and felt tears prickling behind her eyes. She knew he was right. If they’d be together she would be torn apart by the fear of what could happen to her kids. She didn’t want them to get involved in the kind of world where they might be used as a weapon or as a means for revenge. 

Rio took a strand of her hair between his fingers.

”I’m the absolute king without considerable rivals at the moment”, Rio said mockingly. ”So you’re gonna be safe if you wanna give me one more night.”

 

Beth didn’t answer but she put her hand on his chest and started unbuttoning his shirt.   
Rio kissed her lips, her eyes, and her neck and slowly removed every piece of cloth off her. She did the same to him. 

He’d never been so tender with her. He kissed every inch of her from her hair to her toes. ”You’re so fucking beautiful”, she heard him mumbling against her temple and tears started falling her face. 

She’d never felt so beloved, so worshipped. After what felt like an eternity he entered her slowly and started moving inside her, kissing her breasts and mouth. She wrapped her legs and arms around him tightly, as if her life depended on him. As the climax hit them, they rested for a moment, embracing each other and then started all over again. They stayed awake the whole night, making love like never before. 

At last, they were so spent and tired, they fell asleep against each other, Beth’s hand around his neck and his leg between her legs. 

It was 10 o’clock when Beth woke up. Rio was gone. On the nightstand, she saw a fairly big wooden box which reminded her of a jewelry case. She got out of the bed and put her robe on. Then she sat down, took the box in her trembling hands and opened it. 

Inside the box lay the gun that had killed Pat. Even the silencer was still attached to it.


	10. Chapter 10

Beth had a new routine. Since the day Rio had left her the gun in the box, she’d kept it hidden and locked in her wardrobe. She would take it out every night before she went to bed, staring at the weapon and thinking about everything it meant to her. 

It was a painful reminder of the violence she’d seen but it was also a reminder of the man she loved. Some guys bought jewelry for their wives and mistresses but he’d given her his trust, which was very hard to earn - especially when she’d once betrayed him. 

Beth had seen that there was nothing romantic in the world of crime and violence Rio was living in, but she did believe, he wasn’t a lost case. Yet. One more year or two, one more war or two, and he would be permanently broken: paranoid, vicious, merciless, cold and unattainable. 

If she hadn’t been a mother she’d rushed after him the morning she’d woken up alone - despite everything. But she was a mother. Rio had protected her kids when he’d suspected that they might be in danger, but a relationship with him would have been a liability to them all. At least if he’d keep doing what he was doing. 

The days went by, they turned to weeks and months. The girls were visiting Beth regularly and complained that she’d turned more and more inwards. Beth didn’t know how to change it. She felt frozen and apathetic and no amount of Bachelorette or bourbon killed her anxiety.

In November Dean announced his new plan. He had got his business up again and had found a girlfriend. Some blonde, who was hardly 25 and stupid enough to swallow his bullshit, but she was nice enough. 

However, he planned to open a new car dealership in Las Vegas because his new love wanted to become a dancer in Sin City. A stripper, Beth corrected in her mind, only a little bit mean. They had had huge fights about his plan, but Dean had promised that he wouldn’t close the business in Detroit and would be there for their kids.

Anyhow, the upcoming change made Beth think. If Dean was going to move to Las Vegas, why should she be staying in Detroit? She’d miss Annie and Ruby, of course, but if only…

She knew she might make a fool out of herself, but she missed Rio so badly that it felt like her soul was constantly in a medieval torture device. After all, she had nothing else to lose but her pride. Her heart was lost, anyhow.

————————————

Beth didn’t bother calling Rio. She was fairly sure, he wouldn’t answer or would try and push her away. She put her favorite dark green dress on and groomed herself as thoroughly as she could. This was her Invasion of Normandy after all - an attempted invasion but still. When she left the house her hair was glowing, her blue eyes looked huge and her dress flattered her curvy shape. 

”You’re chasing a killer”, an annoying voice whispered in her head, then another one insisted ”He’s had a hard life. He’s not bad from inside” Beth knew those voices. They had been battling in her head since they’d kissed for the first time. But at that moment she wasn’t giving much credit for them. She didn’t have any rose-colored ideas about Rio or his past but she knew what she wanted by now. If she had a chance to have it all, she would try, at least.

She’d decided that she’d wait behind his door if he wasn’t at home. And she’d come back until he’d be there and open the door.

When she entered the lobby, her knees were shaking and her hands were trembling. In the lift, she almost pressed the emergency stop button. She stood at the door for a long time before she’d gathered enough courage to knock.

When she did, the door opened almost immediately. Rio stood in front of her in a woolen winter coat, his other hand holding gloves. He looked as good as ever, but she could see the weariness in his features that hadn’t been there before. Beth breathed in and had to fight against the need to run into his arms. 

”Are you going somewhere?”, she asked nervously.  
”Elizabeth. What are you doing here? Is everything ok?”, he asked without answering her question.  
”No”, she said.

 

Rio opened the door wide open and let her in.  
She removed her jacket and walked to the couches. Rio sat on the other couch opposite her, leaning his elbows against his knees and looking at her inquiringly. Beth felt as if she was about to give her first school class presentation.

”I have a proposition. I think...I think you should flip your game.”

Rio raised his eyebrows and a familiar, amused glint softened his expression.

”Oh do you, now? Don’t tell me it’s botox again.”  
”No. Nothing like that. Dean’s going to move to Las Vegas, at least part-time.”  
”Why the fuck would I care where your stupid Carman is living? Except for the fact, he’s an asshole to leave you here alone with four kids.”  
”We’ve talked it through and he promised to be here as often as he could.”

Rio snorted, then chuckled.  
”Do you want me to be your babysitter, then? That could really be called flipping the game.”  
Beth held her breath for a second and then before she had time to reconsider she blurted:  
”Maybe partly.”

His eyes widened and before he had time to say anything, Beth rushed to speak. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she feared that her brain would be suffering a short circuit in a minute. 

”You - you told me you have more money you have time to spend. As far as I know, you already have some legit business as well. I thought…”  
She swallowed a tight lump in her throat and felt desperation creeping in. This was so stupid.

”I…I miss you. I don’t even know why, because you’ve been an asshole half of the time we’ve known each other. I don’t care what you have been doing in the past but…not that I like the idea at all…but…could you think about…consider getting out of it? 

She breathed in and managed to speak more evenly.  
”It is not good for you. You’ll end up dead or at least dead inside... Maybe if you moved to the West Coast…”

She heard how strangled she sounded.

”You want me to leave all this and start surfing and babysitting? With you?”, he asked deadpan.  
”No, no, there are lots of things you could do, clubs or restaurants or whatever, you could invest in…and go legit..”, her voice started fading and she felt ridiculous. 

This was a nightmare. She shouldn’t have come. Maybe she’d wanted to see something in Rio that was not there.

”Come here”, he said after a short pause, interrupting her miserable thoughts, his face expressionless. Beth was confused but stood up and complied. When she reached the other couch and stood in front of Rio, he suddenly grabbed her hips and bent her over his knees. Beth shrieked surprised and turned her head, trying to see Rio’s face.

”This is for not keeping away from me”, he announced, and Beth felt a slap on her ass. It didn’t hurt and she fought back her urge to laugh.  
”This is for not obeying me”, he said next and Beth was punished again.  
”This is for you being the most impossible woman in the world”, he continued and she felt a bit harder slap landing on her buttocks.

”This is not a joke!”, she managed to protest.

”No, it isn’t”, Rio said and lifted her onto her lap and frowned. ”Now you’ve messed up my schedule as well.”  
”I’m sorry”, Beth responded even though she didn’t feel sorry at all. 

Rio’s eyes glinted like they had used to before that awful gang war and she wanted to stare into his eyes forever.  
”She’s a very special lady.”  
Beth stiffened a bit but Rio’s voice was teasing, so she lifted her chin and only asked:  
”Oh really? Who is she? Another wife?”  
”No. And after two months from now, I’ve got no wife anymore. Juridically. I don’t give a damn what the Catholics say. Even though my grandma might be shocked about that.”

”Then who is it?”  
She was afraid to ask. What if he’d met someone new? Although it felt a bit far-fetched now that he was speaking and looking at her like he did.  
”She’s my shrink. She was born in the neighborhood and knows what it’s like. I think I’m not her only patient in my line of work.”  
”A shrink?”  
”Yeah I know. Six months ago I would have cracked up if somebody would've suggested I’d go to a shrink one day. Then I cracked up for real.”

”Tell me”, Beth asked breathily. Rio’s hand was wandering up and down her spine and she was beginning to feel dizzy but this was important.  
Rio looked at her for a moment behind hooded eyes and gave her a crooked sad smile.

"After what happened, I wasn’t the same. I was being volatile, wasn’t sleeping, was paranoid about everybody and everything, was drinking all the time. See, I hadn’t gone through something like that before. As the war began, things got out of hand. I made a plan to execute and my boys did what I asked them to do. But they also went wild and started shooting anybody who was related to Greggs, all by themselves.”

Beth shut her eyes for a second. This was something she’d have a hard time accepting for a long time.

”Then I almost ran into you one night. I had been driving around, ending up in the neighborhood you live in like many times before. I was about to get a bottle of whiskey from a grocery store. Then I saw you. At that moment I knew.”

Beth sat still on his lap for a moment.  
”What did you know?”  
”That I didn’t give a fuck about the business anymore. That I needed to have you in my life. Or that I needed to try at least.”

Beth was speechless for a moment.  
”Why haven’t you come to me? Or called?”  
”I wanted to get my head straight and I had a lot to do. My right-hand man is an ambitious guy - my cousin by the way - but he had a lot to learn about the business. I wanted to come clean before I’d come by. And I wanted to give you some time and see if you’d meet someone new.”  
”You’ve had me followed?”, Beth asked haughtily.  
”Only on the weekends”, Rio grinned. ”I was afraid of finding out that somebody was taking you out in that red dress.”

His eyes went dark and grave.  
”I would have come to you in two weeks. But you always seem to find a way to surprise me.”

He was still caressing Beth’s back and pulled her into a soft kiss. Until it wasn’t soft anymore but thirsty and desperate, wild and demanding. Beth pushed him against the couch and broke off the kiss. 

”One more thing, mister. I need to hear the words.”  
Rio lifted his eyebrow.  
”What words? That your tits look amazing in that dress? That I want to fuck your brains out?”  
Beth frowned.  
”Alright then.”  
Rio pulled her back and spoke against her lips.  
”I love you. Or like the good old Frankie would say it: ”I’ve got you under my skin.”

 

At that Beth forgot that she’d wanted to talk about her proposition more closely and instead pressed herself against Rio as close as she could.


	11. Chapter 11

Next morning Beth woke up to Rio’s hands wandering on her breasts and his teeth nibbling her neck. She sighed satisfied and felt how he pressed himself against her back and buttocks. She couldn’t understand how he could make her so aroused in seconds even though they’d been having sex for almost the whole night. She felt his rock hard cock against her ass and nestled tightly against it. 

”You are insatiable”, she chuckled.  
”Your fault, darling”, he whispered against her neck, palming her breasts and then letting his hand slide between her legs. 

When he reached her pussy, he groaned and pushed one finger inside her wet core.  
”Pot calling the kettle black”, he pointed out and Beth felt like giggling until he turned her around and guided her on top of him, lifting himself to lean against the headboard of the bed. 

Beth followed the nonverbal instructions and started to ride. She took him in very slowly at first, but couldn’t help picking up the pace when Rio took her breasts in his hands, beginning to torture them, sucking and biting her nipples and squeezing them together with his hands. She was leaning her hands against the headboard, slamming herself onto his cock and incoherent words started to spill out of her mouth: ”Oh yes, please, fuck me, so good, I can’t…”

”For such a respectable lady you fuck like a dirty little slut”, he panted and rolled her on her back. In that exact moment, Beth felt her orgasm crash over her and she wriggled under Rio’s hard body and felt a wave after another as he banged into her as deep as he could. It didn’t take him long. She contracted and convulsed around him so heavily and so long that he let his cock stay deep inside her until he came so hard that Beth felt him trembling from head to toes. It almost made her cum again, because she took so much pleasure from the fact that she’d such a power over him - just like he had over her. 

For a long pleasurable moment they lay against each other and then Beth turned her head and looked at Rio. ”I have to get dressed if we are supposed to talk about my proposition”, she sighed. 

”You can’t read the body language? I don’t give a damn where we’re gonna live as long as we hire a nanny so I can keep you chained to the bed for hours. Or days. You pick the city.”

——————————————

They ended up in San Francisco. Beth had been there once before and fallen in love with the beauty and liberal atmosphere of the city. It wasn’t all easy at first. 

Rio kept carrying his gun everywhere. He bought one for Beth, too, even though she refused to carry it anywhere and once Beth found him teaching Kenny the gun parts. 

He was also stubborn about the safety of their home and insisted on having guards outside their house around the clock, although they lived up in the hills in a house that Beth called ”fortress” in her mind. 

At first his cousin kept calling him almost every day and they had some big fights about what going legit meant. 

”What are you now, a crime consultant?”, Beth once asked annoyed. ”You know, it doesn’t really make a difference if you keep giving advice to your cousin. You’re just running your business from far away!”  
”I’m telling you, it’s just gonna take some time! And I’m not taking any money from them!”, he retorted. 

But it wasn’t only that. 

Sometimes Rio was wandering around the projects of San Francisco as if he was looking for something. 

Beth found this out when he once came home looking gloomy and guilty. A couple of men had tried robbing him and he admitted that he’d pointed a gun at them before they’d had time to do anything. Beth would have wanted to rip her hair out. And his, too.

”You need to get your adrenaline rush from something else”, she demanded. ”Do some benji jumping for god’s sake or something like that!”

To Beth’s surprise he took her advice and after a while, he started doing base-jumping and climbing mountains. Beth wasn’t too happy about that either, because she thought it was dangerous. But at least it was legal and seemed to satisfy his need for excitement. 

All things considered, however, there were much more good things than bad. 

Rio was surprisingly good with children and the kids adored him as well as Hugo, who visited them at least once a month. With Rio’s head for figures, Kenny didn’t need a tutor, because Rio always seemed to be happy to go through his math homework with him. 

After some consideration Rio decided to invest in a new high-end casino in the city and he also invested in a tea plantation in China, which Beth found hilarious. But he seemed to be happy to get ”the best fucking tea in the world” delivered home.

And because they could talk about everything - even though it meant arguing and fighting - and their fights always ended in wild hot make-up sex, Beth couldn’t really complain. Once Rio even pushed her to the toilet in the middle of an evening when the kids were still awake watching tv.  
”What are you doing?”, she’d asked still a bit annoyed.  
”If they knock the door we’re going for a number three”, he just replied, lifted her up and took her hard against the wall without bothering to take much of their clothes off.

All in all Beth was happier than ever. 

After they had been living in San Francisco for about a year, they were lying one night on lounge chairs in their backyard.  
”I have something to ask you”, Rio started a bit hesitantly.  
His voice was so serious that Beth stiffened a bit and sat up, worried. 

”What is it? Is that stupid Miguel asking you to go to Detroit again?”  
”Miguel ain’t stupid.”  
”He is if he can’t leave you alone.”  
”Jesus Christ, it’s not about him or any shady business!”  
”What is it then? If it’s hiring more guards or buying guns, it’s a definite no. This house is crowded enough and you’ve taken care that all the windows are bulletproof. The next thing I know, we’re living in a bunker.”  
”For fuck’s sake woman, shut up!  
Beth fell silent and saw laughter in Rio’s eyes.  
”I’m trying to ask you to marry me!”  
Beth’s mouth hung open for a couple of seconds and Rio chuckled.  
”Shut your mouth, darling, and I mean literally this time.”

Beth blinked her eyes because they suddenly felt suspiciously moist.  
”I didn’t think you wanted to marry anymore. I mean, you don’t have to…”  
”Elizabeth.”  
Rio’s voice was commanding and he stood up offering his hand to Beth.  
He took her by her hand and guided her to the living room and went to a sideboard and opened one of the drawers. He took out a fairly big velvet box and came back to her.  
”I thought this would suit you until you choose a ring - and after that, too. If you want to do this. I mean.”

Suddenly he looked like an uncertain little boy.  
Beth opened the box with trembling hands and found a gorgeous long pearl necklace in it. The pearls were of equal size, beautifully round and when she took the necklace in her hands, she noticed that it was so long that it would reach her belly if she didn’t wrap it around her neck twice or three times. It must have cost a fortune.

”It’s so beautiful”, she whispered and a lonely tear started falling down her cheek.  
”I thought I owe you those pearls because I kept the ones that you left in the warehouse.”  
”You kept them?”  
”Sure. I used to look at them and think about some very dirty things I’d like to do to you.”  
”Where are they now?”  
”In my wardrobe. What do you say?”  
”Of course.”  
”Of course, what?”  
”Yes. Of course. I love you. Even though you make me crazy every other day.” Rio brushed her cheek with his thumb.  
”That serves you right, sweetheart. And because you were nagging at me when I was trying to be romantic, you gotta be punished. You go to the bedroom, take off your clothes and put that necklace on.”  
”Are you going to handle me?”, Beth asked innocently.  
”Yeah. After I’m done, you really know what it is to be handled.”


End file.
